Return to Ni No Kuni
by HannahHatter
Summary: Oliver and the gang are back in this new story! It's been a year since Oliver last visited Ni No Kuni, sticking to his vow to move on with his life. He's gone back to school, he and Phil are working on a new car, and he's even got a new friend. Her name is Aaliyah, and she's got a bit of a mysterious past. And with a new danger in Ni No Kuni, her mystery may be solved.
1. Chapter 1

(I have come bearing a new Ni No Kuni fanfiction! *Looks around with big grin, then eyes widened* Uh oh! *ducks onslaught of fruits and veggies and one chair* Hey now! I worked really hard on this one as well and there's a chapter that I worked on AGES ago that I cannot WAIT to show you! That is a full of feels moment! Plus it's a sequel to the Songstress but I was too excited to show you it, and plus I've been working so hard on it and it's crowding up my google docs! That's gotta count for something!)

"Hey Phil! We have to wait for Aaliyah!" Oliver called to his best friend, Philip. Phil laughed from where he had raced ahead.

"Aw, Ollie!" He called back. "Do we gotta? If we wait for that slowpoke, we'll be late for school again!" Then finally, they saw her coming up. She had long, curly, red hair, a green flowery shirt, and a little denim skirt with white sneakers.

"Sorry Oliver! Sorry Phil! I couldn't find one of my shoes!" She called, panting. Phil rolled his eyes, but was grinning.

"Think nothing of it! Now c'mon! If we're late again, I'm getting sent to the principal's office for the second time this week!" Phil called back. Then the three of them hurried off to school, where they met up with their friends, Myrtle and Denny.

"Hi Myrtle! Denny!" Oliver called to them as Phil went off to hang out with some of the older kids. Myrtle waved back.

"Hello Oliver! Hi Aaliyah!" Denny nodded politely.

"Hey guys." He said.

"So Oliver, have you done any magic lately?" Myrtle asked. Ever since Oliver had saved her father from a Nightmare, a horrible beast that clung onto those who were missing bits of their heart, she was fascinated with the magic he had used to do it. Oliver shook his head.

"No Myrtle. Not since I defeated the White Witch. Same answer I told you last time." Myrtle frowned.

"Well, have you seen any of your friends? Those friends you told me about? Like my soulmate, Esther?" He shook his head again.

"I haven't talked to Esther, or anyone else in over a year." He said, rather sadly. Aaliyah and Denny looked at each other. Even though Aaliyah was new to Motorville, she knew what they were talking about. Oliver claimed that about a year ago, when his mom had died, he had traveled to another world he called Ni No Kuni, and he had saved the world from someone called the White Witch and Shadar. He had friends that were called Swaine, Esther, Marcassin, Harmony, and Mr. Drippy. Myrtle believed it, but Denny and Aaliyah passed it off as complete bunk. Then the school bell rang.

"C'mon Oliver! We're going to be late for class!" Myrtle told him, and they dashed into the school, Denny following and Aaliyah left in the dust. She was the same age as them, but she was in a different class and had not friends there. She had gotten lucky when she met Oliver, after her foster parents had moved her to Motorville and they moved next door.

Aaliyah had never known her birth parents. She had actually been found in Motorville, on a sidewalk outside of Oliver's current house that he lived in with three people called Sam, Melody, and Grant. They used to be refugees in the house next door, Sam and Grant brothers, but they moved in to take care of Oliver so he wouldn't have to leave Motorville.

When Aaliyah had first heard she was going back to Motorville, she had been excited. She was sure she was going to find her birth parents there! But alas, everyone there only remembered her, as the girl on the sidewalk. Some of the older folk claimed she had appeared out of thin air, but they all passed that off as an expression.

After a long day of school, Aaliyah went home by herself, for Oliver and Phil were going to work on a car they had working forever and Myrtle and Denny lived down that same way. Aaliyah didn't care much for cars, Denny was going running with his dog, Genghis, and Myrtle had to clean her room. So Aaliyah let herself into her house and went up to her room. Her foster dad was a photographer and traveled all over the place for his jobs, and her foster mom wouldn't be home from her work at the office until dinner. Joe and Grace both adored Aaliyah as if she was their own daughter, but they were hardly around. So she was often home alone. She put her things away in her room and plunked at her desk to do her homework, but couldn't concentrate. So she dug around in her desk drawer until she found a small, green pendant. It had been found with her when she was a baby, and when she opened it, there was a small picture of someone, but it was really scratched up. All Aaliyah could make out, was bunch of curly red hair, much like her own. And there was a small inscription that read,

"For my beloved Aaliyah. We shall always be together." Aaliyah felt tears run down her face. She always wondered what made her mother give her up. It obviously wasn't because she didn't want Aaliyah. Who would give a child such a beautiful pendant if she didn't want the child?

Aaliyah stood with the pendant, went over to her vanity, and put it on. She had never worn it, but now felt rather powerful as she looked at it around her neck. Then she hurried back to her homework, wanting to finish it before her foster mother got home. She must have fallen asleep, for she awoke to voices outside her window. She looked at her clock and saw that it read 3:42. Only about an hour since she got home. She went to her window and cracked it open, and saw Oliver outside. He was talking to a little, something! It appeared to be a little man wearing a green jumpsuit, and had a long nose with a lantern hanging off of it! She could hear him talking with a welsh accent.

"Aye Ollie-boy! Long time no see! How's life without me, eh?" He said. Oliver grinned.

"Mr. Drippy! I haven't seen you in forever!" Oliver knelt down and gave the small creature a hug.

"Aw, don't go all soft on me!" The creature, Drippy, said chuckling. "Ollie-boy, we need you back in ouer world! There's a real rotter and he's bringin back all the broken hearts and manna! And much worse!" Oliver gasped.

"Well whoever he is, we have to stop him!" Drippy nodded.

"There's the spirit! And that's not all! I was only brought over by 'ere, by something else! I don't know what it is, but I heard a little voice shoutin at me, find her! Now do you suppose "her" is?" Oliver thought for a moment,

"Could it be Cassiopeia? Or Harmony? Or Esther? Or maybe my mom?" Oliver suggested. Drippy shook his small head.

"Nah mun! Your mam be gone, Esther should have let me know, Harmony would have handled it already and I wouldn't know, and I've had enough of Miss Pea!" he shouted. Then Oliver slowly turned to Aaliyah's window, just as she ducked down, panting. She didn't want to be caught eavesdropping.

"Well, I made a new friend this year. Her name is Aaliyah. She really reminds me of someone from Ni No Kuni. I just can't think of who it is..." Drippy waved the thought away.

"Eh, probably just her soulmate. Now let's get a move on! Best go get Astra and the Wizard's Companion! And for heaven's sake, change into some proper clothes mun! Youer heading for the other world!" Aaliyah watched as Oliver disappeared into his house, then came back wearing a white shirt with long sleeves and a blue vest. A brown belt went around his waist, with holster on it. He wore white pants and a pair of brown moccasins with a red cape and brown bag on his back. Aaliyah watched as he looked towards the house one last time, waved what appeared to be a wand, and he and Drippy disappeared! Aaliyah stared at the spot where they were in awe, seeing a stick that looked like it had fallen out of the bag. Perhaps something magical was happening.


	2. Chapter 2

(Ni No Who will come out after this next chapter! WARNING! I tried to be subtle in the next chapter, but it's really not at all!)

Oliver felt the familiar feeling of a spell washing over him, then found himself standing in the center of the rolling hills, just outside of Ding Dong Dell. He looked around in happiness, even as two minor byrds and a ruffian ran away from him. He did his form familiar spell, and laughed as his mite came tumbling out. He'd never stopped loving his first familiar! Drippy grinned at the sight around him.

"Ah, there's lovely! Haven't been round by here in a while! But, we best get moving, eh? We got to find this big baddie and stop em!" Oliver nodded.

"And find out who this " her" is." He added. Then he looked around wistfully. "But, can we at least go and see Swaine, Esther, and Marcassin? And maybe even Cassiopeia and Harmony? I've really missed them!" Drippy thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"I don't see why not! It wouldn't be an adventure without the old team! Let's go see them all!" Oliver cheered and did his Travel spell for Hamelin first. He couldn't wait to see his friends again!

RTNK

Aaliyah ran out as fast as she could to where The stick had fallen out of Oliver's bag and looked at it. It seemed like any ordinary stick, until she looked at it closely. It had writing on it! It looked old though, ancient even. She took into the house and began to recarve in the symbols on it with a knife, making the indentations deeper and the symbols easier to read. Then she tried to think of what that spell that Oliver had done. Gateway? Was that what he had called it? She copied the symbol he had made with the stick, and was surprised to it creating the shape in the air, but grinned. Then she waved the stick at it and shouted "Gateway!" And tried to picture the way Oliver had described the Ivory Tower. It sounded so pretty, and there was a princess there! Hopefully, Oliver was going to be there, because it was the only place she could remember from all of his stories that he had told her. She felt a wave of warmth go over her body, and bright lights engulfed her. She felt her feet lifted off of the soft carpet from her living room and felt her feet hit something hard. She looked around as the bright lights disappeared and she found herself outside! The land looked abandoned, and forgotten, with huge bird symbols on the ground. Aaliyah looked to see where she was and found herself in what appeared to be some sort of temple! There were three pots and a huge altar in the centre. Aaliyah held the stick close as she walked off the altar, wondering where she was. She looked up and saw a terrifying looking building, and ran as fast as she could, but she didn't know where to go! There were beasts everywhere, and the land was surrounded by water! She was on a huge island! She turned to see a little beast with a sword coming at her. She screamed and began to run. She tried to do the Gateway spell again to she could get home, but she couldn't do it running. Then she heard shouts from above and looked up to see an airship! And there were men coming down from it! She screamed again as they stood before, the beast running away. The men looked at Aaliyah curiously.

"Well now." Said one of them, coming closer to her. "What do we have here?" She picked up a rock and got ready to throw it.

"Stay back! I-I'm armed, and dangerous, and really scared!" She shouted. The men backed up, but she heard laughing from behind. Then the men parted and another, much bigger man stood before her. She somehow felt rather comforted by his appearance, though he looked to be the toughest of the tough. Next to him, stood a woman who looked like she couldn't be messed with.

"Well now lassie." The big man said. "Where did you spring from?" Aaliyah looked from him to the woman.

"Don't be frightened. We won't harm you. You are with the crew of the Iron Wyvern. My name is Khulan, and this is my fiancé Kublai." Aaliyah shook as she spoke.

"I-I'm Aaliyah." She said. "I c-came to find m-my friend." Khulan tilted her head kindly.

"Who's your friend, dear? We might know them."

"His name is Oliver." The men collectively gasped, and Kublai grunted.

"That's not possible missy." He said. "Oliver ain't been here in o'er a year!" Aaliyah shook her head.

"Well, he's here now. I was in the other world, with him. I watched him do a spell and he and this man, Drippy I think was his name, disappeared!" Khulan looked to Kublai, who still wasn't sure.

"Then how did you get 'ere?" She held up her wand.

"He left this on my walkway. It had these weird symbols on it and I gave it shot. I was aiming for the Ivory Tower though. Olive that told me all about it." Kublai and Khulan looked at each other, and she nodded. Then she turned back to Aaliyah.

"How about we help you find Oliver? We travel all over the world. We're bound to find him!" Aaliyah's eyes widened.

"You mean it?" Kublai nodded.

"Yeah! We travel all over to make sure everybody is safe! We were actually on our way to visit the Ivory Tower, when we saw ye being attacked by that mite there!" She looked back at the beast, who had retreated to a rock, and shuddered.

"Such a small name for a rather brave beast." She said. Khulan chuckled.

"You should see Oliver's. His is trained to fight strong!" Aaliyah chuckled, but was still shaken up as the Iron Wyvern was brought down from the sky and she boarded it, curling up next to some stone and falling asleep, feeling like her energy was replenished and she was more magically powered than ever. What she didn't know, was that Khulan had written up a letter and sent Tengri off to send it to Oliver. If anyone could find Oliver, it'd be Tengri!

RTNK

"And then, Swaine came running in screaming, because he was being chased by Porco Grosso! And boy, did he take forever to defeat!" Oliver said and he, Marcassin, Swaine, and Drippy laughed. They had reached Hamelin and were passing stories from the journey that had happened so long ago. Harmony had gone out on a quick errand to add a little to her stamp card.

"Oh man Oliver! It's good to have you back!" Swaine said, still chuckling. Then a boarior came running in and Marcassin immediately stood to attention.

"Your highness! I come with a message!"

"Yes, what is it?" The boarior pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Marcassin, who opened it.

"Oh! It's for you, Oliver." He said. Oliver was confused.

"For me? But the only people who know I'm here are you all." Marcassin opened the letter and read it aloud.

"Dear Oliver. You are probably wondering how I knew of your return to Ni No Kuni. Allow me to explain. Kublai and I had been flying past the Ivory Tower, when we saw a young girl being attacked by a mite on the grounds that were Nazcaa. She claimed to be a friend of yours from the other world. Rest assure, she is safe with Kublai and I on the Iron Wyvern, and we are on search for you. She asked us to. Hope to see you soon, O Pure Hearted One. Khulan." Oliver was confused.

"Khulan and Kublai found a friend of mine from Motorville?" Marcassin nodded.

"Apparently so. And there's more." He looked to the paper. "P.S. Her name is Aaliyah." Oliver gasped.

"How did Aaliyah get into Ni No Kuni?" Marcassin shook his head.

"It doesn't say. It just says that they're trying to find you." Swaine stood up.

"Well lets see if we can find them before they find us!" Drippy hopped up.

"Right-O! Let's get Esther, and head out! I want to meet this mysterious Miss Aaliyah myself!" Oliver smiled, and cast the Travel spell to Al Mamoon. They had his friend to find!

RTNK

From where she was in Hamelin, Harmony could see a flash of light from the window of the palace, and clenched her fist. What was going on? She went into the palace, nodding to the guards as she passed them. She went up to Marcassin's chambers and found him gone! She saw a piece of paper on the floor and read it. Oliver was back in this world? And so was one of his little friends? She cast her own Travel spell for Al Mamoon. She didn't know where they were going, but she was going to find them. Nobody left this Songstress behind on an adventure!

(bum Bum BUM!)


	3. Chapter 3

(Are y'all ready for Ni No Who!? It's coming next! I just have to finish up the first chapter!)

Oliver, Marcassin, Swaine, and Drippy dashed into Al Mamoon and ran over to Rashaad's babana stand, where they found him and Esther grabbing a cold drink.

"Esther! Mr. Rashaad!" Oliver called. The two of them turned and grinned when they saw Oliver, Drippy and the two princes.

"Oliver! Swaine! Marcassin! Mr. Drippy!" Esther called as she set her drink down and ran up to them. The five of them shared a great, big hug. "How I've missed you all! It's been far too long!" Esther told them. Then they broke apart, and Esther and Rashaad saw the worry on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"There's a new villain attacking the world, and we haven't a clue who he is! He's been breaking people's hearts all over again and all sorts of stuff!" Swaine explained.

"Yes, and we don't know his next plan!" Marcassin added.

"And on top of that, Ollie-boy 'ere had a friend who found 'er way into ouer world, and is on the look for him on the Iron Wyvern, with Ole Pirate Face and Khulan!" Drippy finished. Esther looked at Oliver, who seemed at a loss for words.

"Oliver? Are you alright?" He shook his head.

"I'm worried about my friend, Aaliyah. She's not strong enough to be out there, even with Captain Kublai and Khulan. I need to find her." Rashaad stepped forward.

"Allow me, to be of some assistance." He told them. Then he gestured them into the small tent, and they crowded around a crystal ball. "Oliver, you must help me complete this spell. A Foresee Spell." Oliver stood and went over to the crystal ball. "Place your hand on the ball, and think of Aaliyah." Oliver closed his eyes, and thought of nothing but his friend. He could hear Rashaad whispering spell words, the gentle tapping of a wand on his hand, then he saw it. Aaliyah, sleeping, leaning on a Waystone aboard the Iron Wyvern. There was a couple of men from the crew constantly checking up on her, but never disturbing her. Oliver delved deeper, until he found himself in her head, where she dreamt a most terrifying thing. There was smoke and fire, and a familiar voice, but one that Oliver simply couldn't place. Then someone ran past him, bumping into him. He looked around, but the people were nothing but grey spots.

"This must be Aaliyah's past. Perhaps she doesn't remember what anybody looks like, just sound like." He didn't hear too much, but he did hear a sobbing.

"...I can't just let her go!" The voice said. Oliver went over to where the voices were. In the midst of the grey spots, a small baby wrapped in Latin style blankets lay, as if in someone's arms.

"It's the only way, your Moojesty. She shall be safer, away from Shadar. And she shall return to us." Her Moojesty? Oliver looked, and saw that the grey spots cleared slightly, just for him, and he saw the Cowlipha! A much, smaller Cowlipha, mind you, but it was defiantly her. She was crying, as a much younger Abull in front of her, looking like he was trying to comfort her. The baby in her arms sobbed as much as the Cowlipha herself.

"I believe you are correct, Abull. But, she is my beloved! How am i to leave my darling?" Abull put his hand on her shoulder.

"It is isn't leaving her, your Bovinity. It's taking her somewhere safe." The Cowlipha nodded, as Abull carefully, but rather forcefully took the baby from her. Then a basket appeared and he laid the small child in it, the baby calming down. He lifted the basket, and the Cowlipha lay a small pendant in the basket, and pushed the baby's sweaty hair out of her face.

"Goodbye, dearest Aaliyah." Oliver gasped. Then he found himself back in the small tent with his friends. Rashaad put his hand comfortingly on Oliver's shoulder.

"We saw it as well." Esther put her hand to her chin.

"So, the Cowlipha knew Aaliyah?" But Drippy wasn't sure.

"But that's impossible. Aaliyah is from your world, en't she Ollie-Boy?" Oliver nodded, but was rather weary.

"But, it's a bit strange. I mean, I've seen those blankets before. Aaliyah kept them at the end of her bed. And the basket was always kept by their fireplace. They said that it's very special to them, I can't remember why. Though I believe they said it was because Aaliyah was brought to them by it." Everyone looked surprised.

"But, couldn't that have been her soulmate? You once said that they have similar attributes, Drippy. Perhaps that was just her soulmate." Drippy shook his head.

"I dunno, mun. Proper weird, that is though." He said.

RTNK

Aaliyah watched from the basket, sobbing as the grey spot lay the pendant into her basket and pushed back her sweaty hair, feeling comforted by this person, whose only thing she could make out was curly red hair, much like her picture in the pendant.

"Goodbye, dearest Aaliyah." The woman said. Then, the fire engulfed her, and she grew, bigger, and bigger!

"ABULL!" She cried out, as the other grey spot, who must have been the Abull character, ran with Aaliyah in the basket. She cried and cried and cried as Abull led her to over to another grey spot, out into a hot area, much like a desert. Then she heard Abull speaking again.

"Rashaad, where are you!? We must do this immediately! Her Moojesty needs me!" Then a new voice, with the sound of another crying baby came.

"My apologies, Abull. I was in the middle of feeding my daughter, Esther." Then the other crying ceased.

"There. That bottle shall keep her busy for a few moments." Rashaad said, chuckling. Abull didn't return the laugh.

"Please Rashaad..." Silence.

"Very well." Then he said, "Gateway." And Aaliyah felt a more comforting warmth, rather than the sweltering heat of the warm climate, a bright light enveloping her, getting brighter, and brighter...

"Aaliyah! Aaliyah!" She sat up, panting. She wasn't in a basket, she wasn't a baby, and it wasn't too warm. She was grown up, on the Iron Wyvern, and it was a bit chilly. Khulan was standing over her, her hand on Aaliyah's shoulder.

"Aaliyah, are you alright?" She asked. "You were having a bad dream." Aaliyah nodded, even though her hair was sweaty and she felt like sobbing. Khulan smiled kindly at her.

"Well, we've left the Ivory Tower. You seemed exhausted, so we left you to sleep for the night. Oliver wasn't there." Aaliyah slumped against the stone. "We're heading for Yule next. Queen Cassiopeia asked us to return a winter coat she had. It grew too small." Aaliyah nodded, still slightly weary from the dream. "I'm sure we'll find Oliver soon, dear." Aaliyah stood and walked over to the edge of the boat, wanting to be left alone. She hated having that dream. It was always the same. Smoke and fire, a woman sobbing, the man taking her from the woman, the woman growing, Rashaad, the other baby girl's sobs, then the bright lights... then she'd wake up in a cold sweat, scared out of her mind. Her foster mother had taken her to all kinds of doctors, trying to get rid of the awful dream, but nothing worked.

She sat on the edge of the ship and stared at the clouds, thinking about that woman. She wondered who it was. Perhaps it was her... no, not possible.

Not only did she think of that woman, she thought of Oliver. He truly was a wizard. How odd. But that didn't matter. What mattered, was that she found him again. And soon. As she thought of her young friend Oliver, she worried more and more about him. What if he was in danger? As she felt tears prick her eyes at the thought of her sweet friend Oliver, lying dead, everyone back at home crying around him in a hospital bed.

"Aye lassie, how're ye holding up?" She turned to see Kublai coming up, holding a small sack, but setting it down as he came over. She went over to him, holding tears back, but fell into his arms, sobbing. "There, there, lass." He said kindly, patting her back. "Tell ole Cap'n Kublai what be the problem." They sat on a step and Aaliyah told him of her perils.

"I'm scared. Scared for myself, and scared for Oliver. And scared for a woman in my dream." Kublai tilted his head.

"What woman?" She shrugged.

"Someone called the Cowlipha. In my dream, there was fire, and smoke, then she shouted for a man called Abull, and she appeared to have grown! I hadn't seen anything, just heard. I was an infant in a basket, and she was sobbing, saying she didn't want to leave me. But the Abull man, he somewhat convinced her to give me up. Then he ran me to somewhere hot, where this man called Rashaad, had another baby girl called Esther. He put a spell on me, and then I wake up." As she spelled her story to Kublai, his big, bushy eyebrows furrowed.

"Very interesting, lass. I can understand why your worried for that Cowlipha woman. She seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble there." Then he stood and pulled over the sack. "Anyway, I came over here to give you a little something. I noticed you're looking a bit strange, seeing as your from the otherworld, so I asked her Majesty if I could borrow a little something." Then he reached into the bag and pulled out, a dress! A lovely white dress that had green jewels bordering the neckline, and a matching white cape that was a lavender on the inside with a clasp that was also a green jewel. There were even a pair of little white flats with green jewels on the toes and a white headband decorated with them. Aaliyah looked at the beautiful outfit, almost afraid to touch it. She'd never owned anything so lovely. Kublai laughed at her expression. "I'll take it that ye like it." She nodded.

"Thank you so much, Captain Kublai." She whispered. He laughed again.

"You're very welcome, lass. Now why don't ye go change in one of the cabins? There's one that no be using at the end of the hall in the hull of the ship. I'll be sure no one bothered ye." She nodded, then took the sack with the outfit in it, and dashed down to the cabins to change. Kublai chuckled again, but was thinking more of what she said. The Cowlipha crying over a baby? Could that have been Aaliyah's soulmate? But what baby would the Cowlipha be crying over?

RTNK

As the group left Rashaad's stand, they heard someone calling for Oliver.

They looked around and saw Harmony coming over, looking semi upset.

"Harmony!" Marcassin ran over, and she slapped him.

"You left me behind!" She shouted. He put a hand to his cheek.

"I'm sorry, we were in a hurry and-" she then hugged him.

"I was worried. All I saw was bright white light from the window and then you and Swaine were gone! I didn't know what else to think!" Esther giggled, Swaine groaned, and Oliver made an ick face as Harmony gave Marcassin a peck on the lips. Drippy clapped his hands together.

"Right-O! We got the gang, together! Let's find us a Miss Aaliyah!


	4. Chapter 4

(Ni No Who is up! Go check it out! I love it already!)

"Where are we going to be going next then, Ollie-boy?" Drippy asked as they left Al Mamoon. Oliver looked about.

"Tell you what, I have a good feeling about Yule. I think that's where we're going to be heading." He said. Then he used the Travel Spell to get to Yule. Something was telling him Aaliyah would be there.

RTNK

Aaliyah came out of the cabin, feeling very nice looking her. Her red hair was pushed out of her face for a change, the headband keeping it back. She felt like a princess in the outfit. She went over to Khulan and showed off a bit, giggling. Khulan smiled at her.

"I see Kublai gave you your gift. You look lovely, dear." Aaliyah blushed, feeling better in the looser clothes that was the dress and the cape.

"You said we were going to land in a place called Yule, Miss Khulan?" She asked. Khulan nodded.

"As I said. Her majesty asked us to return an outgrown winter coat. Perhaps we'll get you a new one as well." Aaliyah grinned, then looked towards the stone that had made her feel strong, and magically powerful.

"Miss Khulan, what is this stone? Why do I feel so, powerful by it?"

"That dear, is a Waystone. It heals you, and replenishes your magic. It's a traveler's best friend. We keep one up here if we get caught in a battle and need to recharge." Aaliyah stared at the stone in amazement, remembering the wand she had left in the cabin.

"Would you excuse me a minute? I want to try some spells. I've got a wand in my cabin." Khulan nodded, and Aaliyah went into her for the wand. She was going to learn some magic!

RTNK

Oliver arrived in Yule and quickly put on his winter coat, already feeling his cape freezing. His friends did the same and they entered the town. Oliver ran straight to the Chief Elder's House. If anybody would know about Kublai and Khulan coming to town, it'd be him! Esther, Swaine, Marcassin, Harmony, and Drippy waited outside while Oliver went in, where he found the Chief Elder sittings with his big, bushy eyebrows that covered his eyes.

"Excuse me, Chief Elder? I need your help." The Chief Elder didn't move, but spoke.

"You be Oliver. I can help." Oliver sat on a frozen step.

"I need to know whether or not Kublai and Khulan will be around here soon." The Chief Elder's eyebrows raised a bit.

"Indeed, they shall be here sometime. Queen Cassiopeia sent them for a new winter coat. She sent me a letter, alerting me of their coming." Oliver grinned.

"But, I sense a great storm coming. It too dangerous for iron ship to land. They must wait." Oliver's grinned disappeared faster than a cappuccino into Gogo. And Gogo loved cappuccinos.

RTNK

Aaliyah watched as the Iron Wyvern fought the freezing wind of the Winter Isles. She shivered in the cold, staying close to the Waystone. One of the crew handed her a warm coat and she quickly put it on. As she watched Kublai and Khulan rush around the ship, she felt a strong feeling that Oliver was close.

RTNK

Oliver left the chief's house, feeling down. Esther hurried over to him.

"Well? Anything?" She asked. Oliver shook his head.

"Kublai and Khulan can't land here. There's a huge storm coming, apparently." He sighed. "Maybe we'll never find Aaliyah." Swaine put an arm around him.

"I'm sure we'll find her soon." Marcassin nodded in agreement, then turned his head.

"Do you hear something?" He asked the others. Oliver, Swaine, Esther, Harmony, and Drippy turned their heads and they heard it too. The crackling of fire.

"Fire." Harmony whispered. But one woman heard her.

"Fire!" She shouted. "Run!"

"Help the Tomte!" A man shouted, as smoke flew over the city, the flames appearing over the distance. Then Oliver heard a voice.

"You two are connected. You will both burn. Burn Pure Hearted One. Burn Heir to Magic." The voice said. Oliver looked around, looking for someone else who might hear this voice, but saw no one but frightened people and Tomte alike.

"Oliver! We have to help these people and the Tomte!" Esther shouted. Oliver snapped back into reality.

"Right! Let's do it!"

RTNK

Aaliyah ran to the cabin as the winds became stronger, and stronger, tossing the Iron Wyvern all around. She held tight to the doorframe, the only thing that was stable. She suddenly heard a strange voice whisper to her.

"You two are connected. You will both burn. Burn Heir to Magic. Burn Pure Hearted One." It said. She suddenly found herself in the middle of a burning city! She screamed out of fear. Then she saw a huge beast appear, with a rocky mane, and fire springing from all around its body. It roared, and the ground split open, lava and fire erupting from ground. Aaliyah screamed again.

"Oliver! Help!"

RTNK

Oliver helped the small Tomte off the ledge and towards the Glittering Grotto.

"Go! Go Go Go!" Drippy was calling out to the other people. Then Oliver heard a much higher, more familiar voice shout.

"Oliver! Help!" Aaliyah! Oliver looked back to see, Moltaan!

"What the hell!?" Swaine shouted, seeing Moltaan as well.

"But we defeated Moltaan at Old Smokey! He was a creation of Shadar!" Esther cried in disbelief.

"Well, it looks like whoever's taken over this time, created Moltaan Mark II!" Drippy exclaimed.

"Guys! I heard Aaliyah! She must be trapped in his Volcanic Roar!" Oliver shouted. Marcassin ran up.

"C'mon then! We have to save her!" Then they ran towards Moltaan.

RTNK

Aaliyah narrowly avoided the fire, coughing on the smoke, falling to her knees and covering her mouth and nose to not inhale anymore. At the same time, she patted down her furry coat, trying to get rid of the flames that kept catching on it. The giant looked down at her, and roared again. She stood and spun around, trying to find a path not completely engulfed in fire. No such luck, but she did see something else. Someone.

"Oliver!" She cried out, seeing his wonderfully familiar face. He looked to her, and she felt something hit her and she went flying.

RTNK

"Oliver!" Aaliyah cried out. Oliver looked and saw her, just as Moltaan's tail swung and hit her, hard.

"Aaliyah!" Oliver shouted, watching her go flying through the flames, her coat catching.

"Oliver! Go get Moltaan! Marcassin and I will save Aaliyah!" Harmony shouted, already running towards her. Oliver nodded, then turned to Moltaan, a Frostbite already being formed. Marcassin and Harmony ran over to her and yanked off the huge, burning coat. Harmony patted out any burns that had gotten onto the hem of her dress, then Marcassin lifted her up, and they ran as fast as they could toward the Glittering Grotto. When they got there, he lay her down and she packed snow around Aaliyah and wrapped her in the cape she wore, trying to get her warm. Her clothes under that coat were definitely made more for the spring weather of Ding Dong Dell. Marcassin also used a Fireball spell and made a quick fire to keep the three of them warm. As he did, he looked down and smiled at her. She was quite pretty, with her fair skin, her ruby red lips, and her long, curly red hair, not as pretty as Harmony of course, but pretty all the same. Though she did look like someone, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Like a much younger version of someone.


	5. Chapter 5

Oliver hit Moltaan with an Unleash spell, Howling Blizzard, and watched as it finished him off. It seemed slightly weaker than usual, but it was enough. As Moltaan fell, he heard the voice again.

"You have defeated a giant, once dead. But this is only the beginning, Pure-Hearted One. You both, shall fall!" He looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but saw nothing, except a hooded figure in a black cloak with a wooden staff, fading away, then disappearing. He rubbed his eyes, then shook his head.

"C'mon! Let's go find Aaliyah, Marcassin, Harmony, and the townsfolk! Let them know that the fire is gone." He called to Swaine and Esther, the fire indeed dying down. They ran to the Glittering Grotto, where they found the townsfolk all huddling around campfires. They saw Marcassin speaking to the Chief Elder and went over to him.

"...I'm certain everything will be alright, Sir. Oliver and his friends are handling everything." Then he saw Oliver and his friends and waved them over. "There they are now." Oliver gave a small bow to the Chief Elder.

"The fires are gone now, Chief Elder. Yule is safe." The Chief Elder nodded.

"Thanking you, I am. And thanking Prince Marcassin I am. You both of very kind." Marcassin nodded, then led the others over to Aaliyah and Harmony while the townsfolk headed back to town. Oliver knelt down and looked at Aaliyah. She didn't seem injured. Just a small burn on her leg, which he covered in snow, as he was out of magic and couldn't use Healing Touch. Swaine, Esther, Marcassin, Harmony and Drippy all sat down next to him, exhausted from the battle. Esther looked at Aaliyah as she cooled off.

"So this is Aaliyah, huh?" Oliver nodded.

"Yeah. This is my friend from the other world." Marcassin looked towards Yule.

"It's strange though. I noticed something. That fire hadn't started until after Oliver had came into the city, and Aaliyah wasn't there until the fire started. She wasn't there, and suddenly she was right in the midst!"

"You think she was the cause of all this?" Swaine asked. Marcassin shook his head.

"No, not at all. I think, that something has come up. Something that is clearly after Oliver, and her."

"I did hear some strange voice. As the fire started, a voice said, 'you shall both burn. Burn Pure Hearted One. Burn Heir to Magic." His friends gasped.

"Heir to Magic? Perhaps she is from here after all." Swaine said. Drippy jumped up.

"I told you lot! That's flippin impossible ! She's from Motorville!" Oliver nodded.

"She's definitely got way too much history behind her in my world for her to be from here." Esther Tilted her head, still looking at Aaliyah.

"But you said that her parents were only fostering her. And that she was found outside your house on the walkway, the older people of Motorville saying that she appeared out of thin air. And she's got the same blanket and basket as the baby in that dream. That's too much information to just exclude."

"Esther's got a point. We can't ignore that."

Drippy shook his head.

"We've got to find 'er soulmate. If we do, then we might be able to clear up this whole mess, eh?" They all nodded, then Swaine yawned.

"Why don't we head back to town and see if the Cat's Cradle is still intact? I'm exhausted!" Marcassin nodded.

"Yes, we best get some rest. I feel as though we are going to have a busy next few days." They all stood up and Swaine went over to Aaliyah.

"I'll carry her." Then he lifted her up and carried her like a baby all the way back to Yule. When they got to Yule, they were shocked to see that the city was immaculate! There wasn't a sign of a fire at all!

"Goodness, that fire must have stopped the moment you and Aaliyah were out of the city!" Esther remarked. Oliver nodded slowly, then they entered the Cat's Cradle.

"So, what are the sleeping arrangements, exactly?" Swaine asked, one of the many things that has come up on their journeys before. It'd always been a debate for them to either get one room or two, since they had limited guilders. If they were too short, someone would sleep on the rug. But with Aaliyah having that blow to the head from Moltaan and Marcassin being a prince, they didn't feel that should be the case.

"Well, we've got about 2,000 guilders. That should be enough for three rooms." Oliver said. "Esther and Aaliyah can have one, Swaine and Marcassin can share one, and Mr. Drippy, Harmony and I will have one. Mr. Drippy, you can sleep in my bed with me. Drippy jumped up. Swaine grunted.

"Sounds good to me. As long as I can put her down soon. Bloody hell, she's heavy! How old is she, anyway?"

"She's only thirteen, Swaine." Marcassin looked thoughtful, but said nothing. They checked in with the Purrprietor, then Swaine followed Esther up to where she was sharing with Aaliyah, and laid her down on the bed.

"Phew! For thirteen years old, she certainly is heavy!" Esther snickered as the others came in.

"Blimey. Is it just me? Or has anyone else noticed just how much she looks like someone we know?" Drippy said. The other four looked at each other.

"I've been thinking that since I met her." Oliver remarked.

"As did I." Esther said. Both brothers and Harmony nodded. Then Swaine yawned again.

"Well, I'm off to bed. I've gotta knot in my back and I want to try and sleep it off!" He said, then left, Marcassin trailing behind him. Drippy, Harmony and Oliver left too, leaving Esther with Aaliyah. Esther went over to the girl and took off Aaliyah's cape, headband, and shoes so that she would be more comfortable. Then she sat on her bed, fed Gogo, the Mohawk and the Seed Sprite she had, then laid down, taking off her own shoes. As she fell asleep, she could just barely make out Aaliyah thrashing around in her sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Aaliyah looked around to find herself in a sort of deserty town. There were clay buildings, little tents, even just tarps on poles. People shouted from all around her and she was wearing a most beautiful dress. It was a icy blue with no sleeves, and silvery lace around the middle and laced up in the back. On her feet were little glass slippers and on her head was a small tiara that had a single, green stone, just like her pendant. A lot of people looked like they were trying not stare at her, but couldn't help it. She walked through the little town, looking at all the small shops, giggling at a boy who was running up and down the main road, stopping and panting every now and then. She then saw a little girl crying and ran over, kneeling down even though the sand would ruin her dress.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" The little girl looked up.

"I- I was p-playing with my ball, and I th-th-threw it too high and it landed on th-the Swift Solutions!" She sobbed. Aaliyah looked up at the building in front of her and indeed, there was a small, red bouncy ball stuck behind what appeared to be a wing. Aaliyah studied the roof, then looked around. She saw a stool that a woman had behind her. She ran over to the woman.

"Excuse me, miss?" The woman looked and gasped.

"Oh! Oh my! Most prestigious young Moojesty! How may I be of service?" Aaliyah held back a snicker.

"Um, I just wanted to ask if I could borrow your stool?" The woman smiled and handed over to the stool.

"Here you are, your Moojesty! And may I say you look absolutely radiant today!" What was with the Moojesty thing? Aaliyah self consciously reached up and touched her head, finding a pair of horns! She quickly put her hand down and looked for the closest spot to the ball. It appeared to be caught right behind the bird like roof's head. So Aaliyah put the stool down and stepped, careful not to trip over her skirt. People watched as she jumped up and grabbed a bit of the bird's wing, pulling herself up.

"Your Moojesty! Please, I beg of you! Come down from there!" She looked as she stood on the roof, carefully making her way over to the ball. There was a man standing next to the little girl, wearing a green tunic with a brown belt, a yellow coat, brown sandals, and a red turban. He looked worried. Aaliyah ignored him as she grabbed the ball and threw it to the little girl. Then she looked around until she saw a cover and jumped onto it, then slid safely to the ground, giggling. The little girl and the man came over to her.

"See, Master Abull? She's okay!" Said the little girl, smugly. The man, Abull, gave a weak smile. Then the girl looked at Aaliyah. "Thank you, Princess Aaliyah." Then she gave Aaliyah a hug, and ran off, bouncing the ball. Aaliyah smiled at her, then Abull grabbed her wrist.

"Come with me, your Moojesty! Your mother is waiting!" Aaliyah was confused.

"My, mother...?" She asked, but Abull paid no attention as he pulled her all the way to the palace and into a room with two big thrones surrounded by a bunch of greenery.

"Abull! Where's my dearest Aaliyah?" Called a loud, rather hoarse voice.

"We just walked in, your Bovinity!" Abull called. Then came a rather large woman with a violet dress, a red coat with fur on the edge, red heels, and cowbell earrings, plus a huge gold crown adorned with green jewels. She saw Aaliyah, and smiled with big, red cow lips.

"There's my darling!" She came over and engulfed Aaliyah in a huge hug. Aaliyah hugged her back, feeling really happy to be in this woman's arms. "Oh, my dear. Remember this, we shall always be together." Aaliyah pulled away to look at the woman, when the woman had disappeared! In her place, was a horrible looking man! He had milk white skin with strange tattoos all over his arms. His long hair was black and he wore a black cloak. He laughed and grabbed Aaliyah's wrist when she tried to pull away, Abull gone.

"You are the Heir to Magic! Your soul belongs to me!" He shouted, laughing maniacally. She screamed, then sat up in bed. It was all dream! But where was she? This wasn't the Iron Wyvern, or that icy town. Or, maybe it was. The room was warm, but the walls looked like packed snow, the bed super soft, like fur. The floors seemed to be made of solid ice. And she found she was alone. Or so she thought. She looked across the room and saw a girl with blonde hair looking at her, concerned.

"Are you alright, Aaliyah? Were you having a nightmare?" Aaliyah looked at her, nervous.

"Who- who are you?" The girl smiled kindly.

"I'm Esther. I'm a friend of Oliver's from this world."

"Oliver?" Aaliyah asked, her eyes widening. "Where is he? Is he okay? He's not hurt, is he?" Esther held out her hands in a calming gesture.

"It's okay now! He's fine, as are you. Though you might a have bump on your head. I can fix that tomorrow, once we rest and I can get my magic back. For now, I suggest you rest as well. We'll see Oliver in the morning." Aaliyah nodded, wearily. Then she lay back down, slipping into a fitful sleep.

 **RTNK**

Oliver looked around, and found himself in Al Mamoon. He found himself just outside Rashaad's babana stand. He looked towards the palace, and saw Abull talking to a girl in a blue dress with red hair that curled at the end, two bronze horns coming out of it, a small tiara sitting right between them. She waved to Abull, then looked at Oliver, and ran over.

"Oliver! You've found me at last!" She said happily, taking Oliver's hands in her own. "Now you and I must help each other, to defeat him!" Oliver tilted his head.

"Him? Who's him? And who are you?" She giggled.

"We've known each other for a few months now, Oliver. I'm the Heir to Magic." Oliver gasped, now realising that he hadn't recognised her.

"Aaliyah?" She nodded.

"We must work together Oliver, if we're going to stop him. Head for Castaway Cove. Find someone called Abdul. He will lead you to the city of Atlantica. That's where you shall find the Staff of the Mermaid King. That it was what I carry today." He looked, and indeed saw standing next to her, a was a clear staff with green, what appeared to be seaweed wrapping around it, a small Jewel on the top that glowed. She then took her hands away from his, took the staff, and began to slide back. He chased her down.

"Aaliyah!" He called.

"Oliver, help me. Help me, and we will save the world together, and discover the truth." Then she disappeared, as did Al Mamoon. In its place was a dark area and silence. He looked around, terrified.

"Aaliyah? Aaliyah! Where are you?" Then he heard a maniacal laughter.

"Your friend can't help you, Pure Hearted One! She's, gone!" He heard a loud bang, and turned to see a light had come on, and there was a block of stone that had a person laying across it. He ran over and saw, Aaliyah. Her skin was grey and lifeless, her once beautiful, full blue dress, now a small black one. Her red curls were limp, and she wasn't breathing. She was the complete opposite of the girl Oliver had seen only moments ago. He felt a tear run down his face.

"No. No!" He cried, falling to his knees, sobbing. He hadn't cried like this since his mother died. Then he felt a soft smoke go around his body, feeling weaker, and weaker.

"Oi! Ollie-boy! Ollie-boy, wake up!"

"Oliver!" He sat up and rubbed his eyes, Drippy standing on the bedside table and Harmony at his side, looking concerned.

"Sorry, Mr. Drippy. Sorry, Harmony. I was having a bad dream. Did I wake you?"

"Nah, mun! We were up and at em already! It's morning, Ollie-Boy!" Oliver looked outside and indeed saw the sun. Then he gasped.

"Aaliyah!" He jumped out of bed and dashed down the hall to the girls' room, where he took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in!" Called Esther. He entered the room, and there she was, sitting on the bed.

"Oliver!" Aaliyah jumped up, ran over, and hugged him. "Oh my goodness! I'm so glad you're okay!" Oliver hugged her back.

"I'm glad you're okay too, Aaliyah." He said. Then Swaine, Marcassin, Harmony, and Drippy entered.

"Aw, there's lovely." Drippy said. Swaine snickered at the two of them, Harmony wrapped her arms around Marcassin's arm, and Marcassin smiled, leaning his head on her shoulder. Well, more her head. She was not a tall woman. Oliver turned to the four of them, blushing.

"Aaliyah, these are my friends that I told you about!" He said. "That's Mr. Drippy, he's Swaine, she's Harmony, and that's Marcassin. You already met Esther." He pointed to each one as he said their name. Drippy stepped forward and held out his tiny hand. Aaliyah giggled as she bent down and shook it with her finger.

"Very nice to meet you, Miss Aaliyah! As Ollie-Boy said, my name is Drippy, Lord High Lord of the Fairies!" She tilted her head.

"I thought fairies looked different." He stopped his small foot.

"Well, in youer world, people don't understand that fairies don't have wings! I don't know where that image came from!" Everybody laughed. Then Swaine came over and shook hands with Aaliyah.

"Good to meet you, kiddo. Oliver talks nonstop about you, you know." Oliver blushed again and Aaliyah laughed. Then Marcassin came up and shook hands.

"I'm glad to see you recovered from the blow to your head." Was all he said. She nodded politely.

"Thank you. And thank you for getting me out of the city while I was unable." Then she shook hands with Harmony.

"Nice to meet you." Was all she said.

Then Drippy jumped up.

"Alright! With introductions out of the way, let's say we get a-shuntin, eh? We've got a world to save!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Aye Ollie-boy! We oughta get Miss Aaliyah a familiar or two! And it wouldn't hurt to get her a better wand than that old stick!" Drippy remarked as they left the inn. Oliver nodded.

"Yeah! C'mere, Aaliyah!" Aaliyah stepped over the Oliver, then he waved his wand and a glow came from Aaliyah's heart, then out popped an auroralynx! A beautiful, white winged cat with soft light purple fur. Aaliyah grinned knelt down to pet the creature.

"Well there's handy! An auroralynx is a good healer, and it's got proper sharp claws, it does!" Drippy told the group. Aaliyah paid no attention as she stared at the beautiful creature.

"She's perfect." She said. "I think I'll call her, Aurora." The cat purred at her name, then flew back into her heart, making her gasp, then giggled. "That felt so weird!" Oliver chuckled.

"You get used to it." Then he turned to the rest of the group. "Now, I need to tell you guys something." All of them looked at him intently. "Last night, I had a weird dream. There was this, girl." He looked at Aaliyah as he said this. "I'd never seen her before." It was half true. She looked older. "And she said to go find a man called Abdul. He was going to take us to a city called, Atlantica." Drippy's eyes widened.

"The Underwater Utopia?"

"Isn't it Atlantis?" Aaliyah asked. Drippy shook his head.

"Nah, mun! That's a myth in youer world! Atlantica is very much real." Harmony nodded.

"It is real. Well, was. My grandmother told me that it had been destroyed." Esther tilted her head, confused.

"Destroyed? How did it get destroyed?"

"She said that it was attacked by the Selachimorpha. Those are sharks in your world, Oliver, but the ones by here have hands with extendable claws. But no one's seen them since Atlantica went down." Swaine came over.

"Are we actually considering going to find an old man and ask him about an underwater city that might not even exist anymore? Along with underwater demons that might still be hanging around." They all nodded.

"I want to figure out about this girl!" Drippy said. "And what she has to do with Ollie-boy and Miss Aaliyah!" Marcassin nodded.

"Yes. I would like to find who is Aaliyah's soulmate. She's seems to be very powerful." Aaliyah looked confused.

"My soulmate?" Oliver nodded.

"Like Myrtle and Esther! Something's seems to be wrong your's, because she keeps coming up in my dreams. And at Yule, I heard someone whispering something to me, and then you appeared." Aaliyah looked thoughtful as he said this, but said nothing. Drippy clapped his hands.

"Righto! Let's get to Castaway Cove then!" Oliver pumped his arms.

"Yeah! Let's find Abdul!"

"Are we flying or spelling?" Esther asked, grinning. Aaliyah's head tilted, confused.

"Flying? Spelling? What does she mean by that?" Everyone chuckled and Harmony put an arm around Aaliyah.

"Oh, little Aaliyah." She said playfully. "You're in for the ride of your life." She looked at Oliver. "Let's fly. Spellings too boring for a first round trip!" Oliver grinned and pulled out his dragon horn, blowing it. Then a huge purple dragon came down. Aaliyah screamed and tried to run, but Oliver grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry, Aaliyah! That's just Tengri! He's our friend!"

"Yes." Marcassin said as he helped her on. "Apparently, Oliver is the master of this dragon. He calls him down and Tengri picks us up, taking us wherever we want." She looked wearily at the ground while the others climbed up. She reached back and grabbed and hand, turning around and seeing Esther, who smiled at her.

"Here we go!" Oliver called, and then Tengri took to the skies! Aaliyah screamed and grabbed for the first thing she could, which was Swaine, who gasped as she squeezed his middle.

"Gah! Aaliyah!"

"Sorry." She said, loosening her grip a little, but not letting go. She was terrified. It's not that she hated heights, but it was something about being this high up.

Swaine reached back and gave her a sort of backwards hug. "Don't worry, you're alright. Look!" He pointed down at the ground and she saw how high they were. Her nerves melted away and she grinned, still holding onto Swaine. She could see the snowy tundra changing into a warm desert areas and it got super hot. Well, at least for the others. Somehow, it wasn't so hot for her. Esther seemed use to it to. Maybe she was born here. But it wasn't so bad for Aaliyah. When they passed the desert and went onto the coast, Tengri landed and they all got off of him, shedding their winter coats and stuffing them into Oliver's brown bag. It seemed to be bigger on the inside. They then walked into a town, where much to Aaliyah's surprise, everyone was wearing bathing suits!

"C'mon! Let's go get changed, then find Abdul." Oliver said, leading them into what seemed to be a hotel.

"This is the Cat's Cradle." Esther told her as she stared at the cat woman behind the desk. "They're all over the place. We slept at one last night." Then Esther and the others reached back into Oliver's bag and pulled out bathing suits of their own! Harmony went over to the desk with her's.

"Excuse me, but we have a little lady here who doesn't have her bathing suit with her." The woman looked at Aaliyah, who blushed a little. The woman smiled at her.

"I will be right back!" Then she ran into the back and came back with a light blue one piece with a sheer skirt that reached her ankles. When she changed into with Harmony and Esther, she felt very beautiful. Esther wore a light purple two piece with a dark purple skirt, and Harmony had a black skirt with strings running down her thighs and a sleeveless top that was low in the back. They both looked great. They went back out and saw the boys talking with the Purrprietor.

"That ole codger? I know him." the cat woman was saying. "He's never outside, always holdup in his house. You'll find him across the bridge next to the Swift Solutions. Just knock." Oliver nodded.

"Thank you, ma'am." Then they set off. When they reached the apartment, Oliver knocked on the door. Two eyeballs with wrinkly eyelids poked through the blinds, scaring them.

"Who goes there!?" A craggily voice demanded. "I en't comin out, and there en't nothing you can do about it!" Oliver stepped up.

"Please, Mr. Abdul, sir. We need your help."

"What sort of help does a young one like you need from an old man like me!?" He demanded. Aaliyah stepped up.

"We came to ask you about Atlantica." The eyes widened, then the door opened, to reveal a hunched over old man with a walking stick, his long white hair everywhere and he was wearing cloak covered with strange patterns.

"Get in 'ere!" He demanded, pulling them all inside. Then he slammed the door shut, and they were thrown into darkness, the only light coming from the sun peeking through the blinds. "How'd you know about Atlantica? I thought they were all gone!" Oliver and Aaliyah looked at each other, then stepped up together.

"Sir, I was told about Atlantica in a dream." Oliver said. "And I was told to come find you." Abdul looked at him, then Aaliyah, then their friend's behind them, then back at Oliver and Aaliyah.

"Why do ya need to get to Atlantica? The old place was lost to the sea."

"We need to find a scepter. The Mermaid King's Scepter." Olive told him. "There's a wicked man after my friend and I, and I think that with the scepter, we can stop him." Abdul stared at the group. Then he sighed.

"I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Huh?" Oliver asked.

"The only way to get to Atlantica is as a mermaid or a merman. And nobody's been able to do that for years." Then he looked at Aaliyah. "Although, I have a strong feeling that you might be able to retrigger the magic!" Oliver and Aaliyah smiled at each other.

"How?" Aaliyah asked. He pointed his cane at her.

"You! You, need go below the seas, and say the right words. You'll need a wand, and a spell that will help you breathe under water until you've triggered the magic."

"What are the words?" Aaliyah asked him.

"And what spell is required?" Marcassin added. Abdul went over to a cupboard and pulled out a piece of yellowed paper.

"This will have the answers to both questions." He told them, handing it to Oliver, who gasped.

"It's a page from the Wizard's Companion!" Abdul nodded.

"It was given to me long ago. Back when the Wizard's Companion was first created by Horace, all those years ago." The old man then opened the door and let them out. "Remember! She must be the one to say the words!" Then he slammed the door. They all looked at each other.

"Crikey! Well he was a right old codger!" Drippy exclaimed. They all nodded.

"You can say that again!" Esther said. "Anyway, we have the page. Why don't we see if we can get on the Sea Cow and head out for Atlantica! It looks like the Wizard's Companion has it marked!" She pointed to a spot in the book's map, and indeed there was a faded picture of a little blue castle.

"C'mon then!" Harmony called. "Let's go!"


	8. Chapter 8

Captain Sindbah was happy to have Oliver and his friends aboard the Sea Cow again.

"Anything for the Savour of Our World!" Sindbah told them. Aaliyah stood by the edge, reading over the page from Abdul. _"She must be the one to say the words!"_ Why her? What was so special about her?

"Stop here, Sindbah!" She heard Esther call. "According to the map, Atlantica should be right here!" Aaliyah took a deep breath. This was it. Oliver went over and she handed him the paper with the spell. He waved his wand over the two of them.

 _"Aquatimorha!"_ He said. Then a shroud of white sparkles flew over him and Aaliyah, making a bubble. Aaliyah had to grin. This was pretty neat! She looked at Oliver. "Ready?" He asked her. She nodded. Then they both jumped into the water, where they found they could breath with the bubble around them! Oliver had to grin too. This was probably the first time in a while that he had been in the water and wasn't afraid of drowning. Then he handed the paper to Aaliyah and they swam deeper under the water, until they saw it. A grand castle and a few tumbled down buildings! The castle must have seen better days, and there appeared to be-gulp-skeletons all over. Aaliyah held up the paper shakily, the bubble already getting smaller as the spell was running out.

 _"From those on land, to those at sea! Give us the gift of fins, I plead with thee!"_ She read, not stuttering once. There was a flash of gold, and a huge dome formed around the destroyed city and grew until it reached the surface, covering Aaliyah and Oliver just as their bubble popped. The two of them gasped and inhaled a load of water, then began choking and coughing. When Oliver had caught his breath, he realised he was breathing! Underwater! He grinned at Aaliyah, who was laughing. They had tails! They were merpeople! Oliver's was red with gold on the hips, while Aaliyah's was light blue, a wrap that had a purple flower on it around her chest. Their human clothes were gone, and they each had a little pouch that hung from their waists. Aaliyah's was light blue and Oliver's was red.

"Oliver! Look at us!" She exclaimed, unable to stop giggling. "We're merpeople! I'm a mermaid! You're a merman!" Oliver laughed with her and they swam around, getting used to using their tails. Then he gasped.

"The others! They must be worried!" The two of them swam to the surface as fast as they could, coming up on the other side of the ship.

"I can't see them!" Esther cried.

"Blimey, how deep do you think they went?" Drippy wondered.

"Swaine, can you see them?" Harmony called.

"No, but I can't go to deep, can I? Seeing as I'm not in a magic bubble!" They could hear Swaine moaning back.

"Hey guys!" Oliver called. "Over here!" Then they saw four faces pop over the side of the ship, grinning at them.

"You two are alright!" Esther called.

"Don't scare us like that, mun! Took years off my life, you must have!"

"Doesn't take much to scare you, Drippy." Harmony snorted.

"We've been trying to find you two for quite some time." Marcassin told them, ignoring Harmony and Drippy's bickering.

"Where's Swaine?" Oliver asked.

"Over here." They turned and Swaine swimming up. He did not look happy. "Harmony pushed me into the water to try and find you two." Aaliyah and Oliver looked sheepish.

"Sorry. We got a little... sidetracked." Aaliyah told him, then she pulled her tail up so that they could all see it. Oliver did the same, and everybody gasped.

"That's amazing!" Esther told them.

"My turn!" Then Harmony dove into the water, and came out sporting a black tail with silver at the end and a silver wrap around her chest, a black pouch at her side. Swaine dove beneath the waves as well and came out with a light green tail and matching pouch. They both looked amazed at them. "By the Ancients!" Harmony gasped as she felt her tail. Esther and Marcassin giggled at the three of them, when they themselves were pushed into the water! Behind them, Drippy smirked, then followed them in. Marcassin came up with a dark purple tail that had teal at the hip and the fin and a teal pouch, while Esther came up with a dark purple tail that had light purple around the waist like a skirt and a light purple wrap with a matching pouch. Drippy's tail matched his little jumpsuit. Esther narrowed her eyes at Drippy.

"That wasn't very funny, Drippy." She grumbled. He shrugged.

"Knowing you and ole Prince-Face over there, I had to do it. It would have taken you flipping ages if I hadn't!" Esther stuck her tongue out at him, but Marcassin shrugged. He knew it was true. Then he swam over and took Harmony's hand, smiling at her.

"Shall we have our first underwater date?" He asked teasingly. She giggled and nodded. "Let's go then." And the Sage and the Songstress dove below the waves. Swaine, Esther, Aaliyah, and Oliver looked at each other.

"Get a move on, you lot!" Drippy called. "I want to see the Underwater Utopia myself!" Then he followed Harmony and Marcassin. Esther took Swaine's hand and dragged him below, Oliver and Aaliyah not too far behind. They swam all the way down to the city, where everyone with a magical item got ready. Who knew what was down here?

"Alright everyone. Let's head for the palace. The staff must be in there." Oliver told them. Aaliyah swam ahead, having a weird feeling in her chest. Something just leading her...

"Aaliyah! Wait for us!" She heard Swaine call. She stopped and waited for them, feeling very anxious.

"Sorry, everyone." She said, clasping her hands together behind her back and blushing, looking at the ground. "I just... I have this weird feeling... like something's, pulling me down here." As soon as they got there, Aaliyah took off again.

"Aaliyah!" She heard Oliver call, laughing. She giggled and swam backwards, watching as he zoomed up as fast as his fins could carry him. He caught up and she grabbed his hands, spinning him around. Then heard a loud growl, and saw a shark with claws! Aaliyah screamed and Oliver pulled out Astra, shooting the creature with a Fireball.

"Aaliyah! Oliver!" Drippy, Esther, Swaine, Harmony, and Marcassin came swimming over.

"What the flipping heck, mun!?" Drippy shouted.

"It's a Selachimorpha!" Harmony shouted.

"Oi, you lot!" Drippy called as they went to send out their familiars. "We may be have fins, but youer familiars won't! Only the Aquatica ones!"

"But the only person who has Aquatica familiars is Esther!" Swaine shouted at he hit the Selachimorpha with a Rotshot.

"Leave it me!" The familiar tamer called as she sent out a Danglerfish and sent it to do Splish Splash. It didn't do much, though. Oliver, Marcassin, and Harmony each hit it with a Fireball, sending it flying back, but making it angrier, hurting it a lot. Aaliyah pulled the stick that she'd been using for a wand out of her pouch and tried to do the same as the others, unsure what she was doing. She created a shape, and out came a tornado from her wand that twisted around the Selachimorpha, killing it. Everyone looked at her in shock.

"What was that?" Esther asked in awe.

"I've never seen such a spell!" Marcassin exclaimed.

"Nor have I!" Harmony agreed. Aaliyah shrugged.

"I just made a pattern like you were and that's what came from it." Drippy gasped.

"Crikey! Now I know what's going on, mun!" He came swimming over to Aaliyah. "Miss Aaliyah here just did something no one's done since the Wizard King! She made a _new spell!"_


	9. Chapter 9

"A new spell?" Harmony asked.

"How the hell did she do that?" Swaine demanded. Aaliyah backed up, a little nervous.

"I'm guessing new spells aren't common, huh?" She asked. Marcassin shook his head.

"I can't speak for them, but I know I've never seen someone make a new spell. I have always performed ones created by the Wizard King." Harmony nodded.

"Nobody from our age would have seen anyone create a new spell, except maybe Cassiopeia. My mother said that my grandmother was going to teach her, but she never got the chance."

"What're you gonna call it?" Oliver asked her. Aaliyah thought about it for a moment.

"Twister." She decided. "Just simply, Twister." Then a piece of paper appeared out of thin air! Drippy grabbed it out of the air and looked at it.

"Blimey! It's a page for the Wizard's Companion! But it looks flipping brand new!"

"Maybe because it's a new spell, the pages automatically appear now." Oliver said. "Because Aaliyah only made it now, the pages aren't all torn up and old and yellowed." Drippy nodded.

"That's the only explanation! Good job, Miss Aaliyah!" Aaliyah shrugged.

"I didn't do anything. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just did... that."

"Well "that" was amazing!" Harmony told her, patting her on the back like a big sister. "You truly have a gift." Aaliyah blushed.

"Thank you, Harmony." She murmured.

After a few more battles and long swim, they reached the palace, where there was a Waystone.

"Uh oh. Better have youer wand ready, mun!" Drippy said. "That's not a good sign!" Aaliyah looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean? Aren't Waystones a good thing? Miss Khulan told me that they get your magic and health all the way up." Drippy nodded.

"That they do, lass, that they do! But they also mean there's a big battle coming up!" Aaliyah's eyes widened as she touched the Waystone self consciously.

"Oh." Then they entered the palace, where there was a huge throne and a staff next to it. The staff was clear with green seaweed wrapping around it, a small jewel on the top that was also clear. And it was huge. It looked meant for a giant.

"Look! It's the staff of the Mermaid King!" Esther said, pointing at it. The a huge fin swam over them, scaring them and making them duck. They looked and an enormous Selachimorpha glared at them.

"What the hell!?" Swaine shouted. "What's that thing!?"

"Selanic, The King Selachimorpha." Harmony whispered.

"More like the Guardian of the Staff, now." Marcassin added. Oliver readied himself.

"It doesn't matter what it is! We've go to show it that we've got what it takes to get that staff!"

"Right!" They all shouted in unison, even Aaliyah. If she wanted to travel with them, she was going to pull her own weight. Then they began to fight it. Oliver started with a Fireball, followed by Esther's Danglerfish doing Phantom Fangs. Aaliyah copied Oliver and did a Fireball as well, the creature coming right at her! She defended, blocking many of the attacks, but still getting beaten black and blue. She waved her wand again and made sort of a bow and arrow shape, then hit the guardian hard with an Arrow of Light. The guardian swam away and went after Swaine for a bit. Aaliyah grinned. That was so cool! She did another one, then a third, dealing a ton of damage. But then her wand sputtered out.

"I think I'm out of magic." She mumbled. She looked and saw blue glims, and ran after them, feeling her magic go up.

Soon, the guardian went down, and they looked to the staff. Aaliyah went over to it and tried to lift it. The staff, which had been huge, suddenly shrank down to size and she lifted it easily, the jewel on the top glowing a light purple. She stared at it, the purple light shining in her eyes.

"So this staff belonged to the King of Mermaids." She said quietly.

"That it did, young one." They heard a deep voice say. They all gasped, and turned and saw a tall man who was hugely built. He had a dark green tail and long white hair and beard. On his head was a huge gold crown.

"That must be the King!" Oliver exclaimed. The man nodded.

"I am the late King of Atlantica and the previous owner of the Sea Staff. But now, I bestow it upon you, Heir to Magic, Princess Aaliyah." Aaliyah eyes widened.

"Princess? But I'm not a princess. I'm not even sure I'm the Heir to Magic." He smiled kindly.

"Only the Heir to Magic could have created a new spell. As for being a princess, you shall find out about that in time. Until then, I wish you luck." He bowed his head at her, then disappeared. She reached out to him, trying to stop him.

"Wait! Please! Where're you... going...?" She faltered. Oliver and the rest of them came running over.

"Blimey! That was a bit mysterious, en't it though?" Aaliyah nodded slowly, gripping the staff tightly.

"Yeah." She whispered. Then she cleared her throat, straightening up. "Well, we got the staff. Why don't we get out of here." Oliver nodded.

"C'mon. Let's go." They swam out of there with little to no fighting, but when they reached the surface, they realised they had a slight problem.

"How are we supposed to get back on the boat with our tails?" Harmony asked.

"Ahoy, there!" They turned and saw Sindbah waving to them. They swam over, and were caught in nets!

"What the hell!?" Swaine shouted, pulling at the net as they pulled them aboard.

"What's going on?" Marcassin asked. They paid no attention as they yanked the group onto the ship with a few bumps and thumps. Immediately, they changed back into humans. Sindbah grinned as the nets were pulled off.

"Sorry, mates." He said. "But it was the only way we could think of to get ye back on the ship! And we knew ye'd object, so we didn't tell ye." Harmony, Swaine and Drippy gave him a dirty look, Marcassin nodded, dusting himself off, Esther rubbed at her legs, and Oliver tried to untangle his cape. Aaliyah just stared at the staff in her lap. This was truly an adventure.

(So I heard that most people-  
Swaine: theLittleKawaiiPen...  
Me: Shut up, Swaine! Anyway, I heard that most people read this already on Wattpad. So I decided to update all these chapters that were already on Wattpad onto here as soon as I could, unlike what I did for the Songstress, and then add the next chapter after this, so there's something that you guy haven't seen yet. I think the next chapter is going to be the interesting one.


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as they all dried off and their tails had changed back into their legs and their clothes were back to normal, it was getting dark out. So they ate dinner out on the deck, then went below to find someplace to sleep. The girls decided to sleep in one room while the boys slept in the other. Soon, they were all asleep, after deciding that the younger two, Oliver and Aaliyah, would get the hammocks. All of them, except for Aaliyah. She lay in her hammock and stared at the soft glow that the jewel on her staff cast across the room, listening to Esther's steady breathing from the floor where she slept on blankets and Harmony's soft snores from where she was using her staff as a hammock. She kept pushing her foot against the wall to try and stop the hammock from rocking, but it was near impossible.

As she rocked and stared and listened, she thought of her family back in Motorville. Joe and Grace, her foster parents. She'd been with them for years, ever since she was a baby. They would never fully adopt her, they were too busy. They already didn't like leaving her home alone all the time. ANd now she'd just vanished into thin air! Were they worried? Were they panicking? Had she scared them?

"They're probably too busy to even notice that you're gone." A voice said slyly. She nodded, dozing off at last. But as she closed her eyes, the pure blackness that usually faced her had changed into a room. In the room, was an ugly sort of creature. It had spidery legs, with a skeleton body black hair flowing from its skull. And it's legs were red. The skeleton part of it that was covered with a black robe was white, but the spidery legs were blood red, and looked as though the colour had been splashed onto him, as if something had spilled on them. The creature grinned an evil grin, bugs coming from his teeth. Aaliyah thought she was going faint, or worse, vomit.

"So. You're the one Senkrad has been after! You and that boy." He said, his voice dark, but slightly high pitched at the same time. Aaliyah stumbled back.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked, looking for some sort of weapon, but there was none.

"My name. It is Tortana. I am the slave of Senkrad."

"Wh-who's Senkrad?" She asked, her voice squeaking with fear. Tortana stepped forward a little, more bugs crawling out of his grin.

"Senkrad is my master. But he has been hidden away. His power is great. And mortals feared him. Now he is weak. And he needs more power. You and the Pure Hearted One. You are powerful enough for Senkrad. Your souls are what he needs." Aaliyah jumped back again, trying to get away from Tortana and his hideous face.

"Wake up Aaliyah! Please! Wake up!" She whispered to herself. Tortana laughed a high pitched laughter that rang in her ears.

"Oh. You'll not be waking anytime soon. It was I who put you to sleep. You will stay asleep too." Aaliyah gasped. "Might we bring in the boy. As well?"

"No!" She shouted. "Leave Oliver alone!" She jumped up, but before she could even plan her next move, Tortana held out his wrist to her and webbing shot out at her! It wrapped around her body and held her firmly to the ground. She tried to wiggle out of it, thinking that this couldn't be too strong, it's spider web, but his was no ordinary spider web. "Let me go!" She shouted. "And leave Oliver alone!" Tortana laughed.

"I do not take orders from puny girl. No matter that she is the Heir to Magic. She does not know her own power."

RTNK

Oliver awoke with a start, and fell out of the hammock. He'd heard a dark laughter in his dream. What was that? That was when he heard something thump in the girls' room, and heard stirring.

"Aaliyah? Are you alright?" He heard Harmony say through the rather thin walls. There was no answer from Aaliyah though. "Aaliyah?" Still nothing. "Aaliyah!" Oliver ran into the girls' room and saw Harmony and Esther had run over to Aaliyah, who was stick straight, like someone had tied her up, and she was fidgeting in her sleep, her face a mask of fear.

"Aaliyah! Aaliyah! Wake up!"  
"Oliver?" She said, but her eyes were still closed. "Oliver, get away! Save yourself!"  
"Save myself? Aaliyah, what's going on?" He asked, but she didn't answer.

"No! Leave him alone!" She shouted. That was when Oliver felt fatigued, and he lay back on the floor, falling into a deep sleep.

"Oliver!" Was the last thing he heard Harmony and Esther say before he found himself in a black room, and saw a horrible looking spider man! Then he saw Aaliyah, was tied up with webbing.

"Oliver! Get out of here!" She cried, still fidgeting, trying to get free of the webbing.

"So. This is the Pure Hearted One." the spider man inquired, coming over, his spindly legs clicking on the floor. "Funny. I imagined you. Bigger. More powerful looking." Oliver stood his ground, reaching for Astra, but found it wasn't there. "Silly boy. I would never make it that easy."  
"Who are you?" he demanded, trying to call upon a familiar, but that wasn't working either. He was completely powerless in here.

"I am Tortana. The slave of Senkrad. And the one who will bring him your souls." The he shot spiderwebs at Oliver and bound him.

"Oliver!" Aaliyah shouted,then her bounds blasted off, and she glared at Tortana, who looked shocked.

"That's impossible! Nobody can break my webbing!"

"Well I just did, didn't I?" She told him. Then she pulled out Aurora who seemed surprised to be there.

"Aurora! Purifying Pulse yourself!" Aaliyah told her. The winged cat did just that. "Now Attack!" Then Aurora went after Tortana, who tried to block her attacks, but the cat was pretty good with her claws, especially since the battle with the Selachimorpha had leveled her up quite a bit. She could almost metamorphose already! But that was when Tortana did a magic move.

"Consuming Darkness!" Aurora went stumbling back and Aaliyah cried out, having been cursed. But she wasn't going down so easily.

"Aurora! Healing Tear!" Aurora did the move, even though it didn't do too much, not helping her cursed state. "Aurora! Defend!" Then Tortana came over and started to attack, but it did minimal damage. As he attacked, Aaliyah looked for a weapon. Aurora could only do so much. All of a sudden, she felt Aurora fly back into her chest. The familiar needed to recharge. Aaliyah looked up at a furious Tortana.

"Why don't we end this charade?" he told her. Then he began to create a symbol with his finger. "Heart Wrencher!" Aaliyah screamed and ducked her head, then felt something hit her, but it wasn't painful. She couldn't see anything.

"Did it work?" She heard Esther's voice.  
"Hard to say. She's moving around a bit, though." Drippy told her.

"Oliver? Aaliyah? Are you two alright?" Harmony's voice came through.

"Come on, guys. Wake up." Swaine whispered. Then Aaliyah sat up, gasping. She wasn't with Tortana anymore. She was back on the ship, all of her friends surrounding her. She was also on the floor, under her hammock. Oliver was sitting up too, looking confused.

"What happened?" He asked. She shrugged.  
"I don't know." Harmony knelt down and inspected the two.

"Hm, doesn't look like an enchantment." Esther tilted her head.

"You can tell?" She asked. Harmony gave her a look.

"You're surprised?" Esther shrugged. She had a point.

"What happened to you two in there?" Marcassin asked the two shaken kids.

"I was laying in the hammock, just…" She chose not to tell them about her family issues. They weren't important currently. "thinking, and as I dozed off, I heard this voice. Then I was in this dark room with this strange looking man! He had spidery legs and a skeletal body!" Oliver nodded.

"And he said that he was the slave of someone called, um… Senkrad?" The four older ones of the group gasped, then looked to each other.

"Tortana." Marcassin said, his face paler than normal.

"It's not possible. He's dead!" Swaine told them, nervously.  
"Yeah, and he's supposed to be the Guardian of Senkrad's Prison!" Drippy added.

"He must have come back and was hypnotised by Senkrad." Harmony told them, gripping her staff tightly in her hand so her knuckles turned white.

"Who's Senkrad and Tortana?" Esther asked. The adults exchanged looks again.

"Could it really have been only been thirty years ago?" Marcassin asked them.

"It should have been forever." Swaine grumbled. Harmony turned to the teen and the two kids.

"Senkrad was once human like us. He was a very powerful wizard too, a Great Sage, alongside Alicia, Rashaad, Khulan, and Raoul. Alongside, they worked with my mother, Dalia."

"They protected this world long before we were all born." Marcassin added. "Alicia and Raoul had even done the trials together, while Senkrad had done them with Rasaad."

"They all worked very hard to keep the peace, until Shadar, the rotter, came along!" Drippy cut in. Swaine nodded.

"The five sages and the Songstress had gotten together to discuss their strategy against him. Senkrad had wanted to join Shadar, in hopes of creating peace and not war. But the other sages and the Songstress didn't approve of Shadar's methods, and Senkrad became angry."  
"He went rogue, and became dark." Harmony told them darkly. "He killed everything in his path, becoming less obsessed with the idea of peace and more obsessed with the idea of death, until there was no good left in him. He wasn't even human anymore. Just darkness."

"So, the four remaining sages and the Songstress sought him out. They wanted to try and save him. But it was much too late. So they instead trapped him in a glass prison of pure light, the one thing he could not destroy, and they hid him far away, leaving Tortana, who was a unicorn at the time, in charge of guarding him." Marcassin said lastly.

"However, the pure essence of the dark power inside of the glass prison was too much for Tortana." Swaine added. "He went mad, and eventually killed himself."

"And now he's back, and he's evil?" Aaliyah asked, three of them silent through the whole story.

"That's what it looks like, don't it?" Drippy said quietly.

"And now with Alicia, Raoul, and Dalia gone, only Rashaad and Khulan could possibly withstand his power." Marcassin said sadly.

"But what about us? What about you and Harmony?" Oliver asked. "You're a Sage and the Songstress. Can't you two help them defeat him again?"

"Not on our own." Harmony told him. "He's far too powerful for a single wizard or witch, let alone a still developing Songstress and an underage Sage. We only know this from stories our parents told us. No, we need Rashaad and Khulan. They'd have a spell or two saved just for the likes of Senkrad and Tortana." Oliver jumped up.

"Then those are our next stops! Al Mamoon and Perdida!" Aaliyah stood up too.

"Yeah! We'll get those spells and we will stop Senkrad from escaping his glass prison!" But the adults didn't look so sure.

"Are you two sure about this? From what my father told Marcassin and I, Senkrad is extremely powerful." Swaine told them. Oliver nodded.

"We have to try at the very least! We can't just let him win!' The four adults exchanged looks a final time, then nodded.

"Alright then. We'll set out for Al Mamoon first thing tomorrow." Harmony told them. "For now, let's get back to bed." Then the boys left, but Aaliyah realised Esther hadn't moved, hadn't spoken. She had just sat there, looking white as a sheet.

"Esther? Are you okay?" Aaliyah asked her, kneeling down. Harmony crouched down on her other side. Esther nodded slowly, swallowing.

"Yeah, it's just…" She sighed. "My father worked with Senkrad on the trials. He mentioned once that the man he had done the trials with had been his childhood friend. He was friends with Senkrad as a child. Do you think that… he and Tortana… that they might…?" Harmony shook her head, understanding.

"No, Esther, no. Your father is a good man. He would never work with the likes of Tortana. I can promise you that." Aaliyah nodded, understanding now.

"Yes, definitely. From what Oliver told me, your father would never go evil. He would never turn against you like that, not for the world." Esther nodded.

"Yeah. I guess so." Then she gave both of her friends a hug. "Thank you, girls. I guess I just needed a pep talk, huh?" They nodded, then Aaliyah yawned.

"Now let's get back to bed. And hopefully not dream of Tortana anymore." Harmony remarked. Both of the younger girls nodded, then they all went back to bed.


	11. Chapter 11

(Now this is a chapter those of you who read the Tales of Wonder might recognise! (:)

The next morning, they sailed all day, finding that Atlantica was much farther than they expected. The whole day, Captain Sindbah was on edge. He kept looking up at the sky, a little nervously.

"Captain Sindbah? Are you scared something's going to happen?" Aaliyah asked from where she was practicing magic with Oliver. The captain nodded.

Aye lass. A storm's brewing. I can feel deep in me bones."

"Should we be concerned?" Swaine asked from where he and Esther were teaching Gogo and Gunther some new tricks. Sindbah shook his head.

"No, just stay calm like the sea. The Sea Cow has been through a few storms, if you recall the Eye of the Storm. This one will be small."

RTNK

"Argh!" Sindbah shouted as the Sea Cow fought against the storm that was beyond small. "Move yer carcasses, ye scurvy sea dogs! Or I'll have yer necks for it!"

"Aye, Captain!" the crew called. Marcassin was up against the side of the ship, holding onto to the railing tightly so that he wouldn't go overboard. Swaine was helping the crew out and Harmony was getting Drippy, Esther, and Oliver into the cabin. Aaliyah was being blown down by the wind and couldn't get up. Marcassin was coming to help her. As she lay on the ground, she vaguely heard a voice that didn't belong to anybody on the ship.

"Come on! Scoot, ye landlubbers! Else, I'll toss ye to Davy Jones' Locker and ye can answer to him!" Then the voice was lost to the wind. That was when Aaliyah felt someone grab her hand and looked up to see Marcassin standing over her, the dark sky, the lightning, and his long dark hair making him look like he was evil.

"Aaliyah! Come on!" He helped her to her feet against the wind and together, they made it to the cabin, where Marcassin immediately sat down, exhausted. Aaliyah curled up next Oliver and Harmony, listening to the wind blowing outside and the shouts and calls of the men. She thought about that voice she had heard. It sounded like a woman, but she couldn't be sure. It might have just been the wind whistling. She'd have to ask Sindbah in the morning. Then she felt a blanket get draped over her and saw Swaine had come in and was passing out blankets.

"Sindbah sent me in." He explained. "He said that we can ride out the storm tonight, so we oughta get some sleep." Aaliyah nodded, already feeling sleepy and Oliver had dozed off next to her. Soon, she was out as well.

When they woke up, Aaliyah could see the sun shining through the window. She jumped up and ran out to the deck, where she saw the crew and her friends except for Swaine, who was not an early riser, cleaning up debris. When she saw Sindbah, she remembered the voice she had heard on the wind last night, and ran over to him.

"Captain Sindbah, sir!" she called. He stood straight and looked at her, then smiled.

"Aye, lass! What is it?" He asked her.

"Yesterday, during the storm, I thought I heard more pirates. Someone was calling to their crew." Sindbah furrowed his eyebrows.

"Aye, that be strange. There ain't many other pirates out there, and if there were, they wouldn't be caught in that storm." That was when a crewmember called from the crow's nest.

"Captain Sindbah! There's been a shipwreck! Up ahead!" Sindbah raced to the front of the ship and looked ahead. Sure enough, on a small island, there was a ship that looked like it had been crashed there, but it still had it's deck.

"Land-ho! Bring 'er around! We'll investigate 'er!" They landed on the ship and started to explore. Almost the entire crew decided to head into the forest, saying that the ship looked "shifty". Sindbah called them cowards. But they had a right. When Aaliyah looked into the windows of the cabin, and swore she saw a shadow. So Harmony decided to go in. She slowly pushed the door open and stepped in, then shouted as the shining blade of a sword swung in front of her, almost hitting her nose.

"What the hell!?" she shouted, stumbling back. That was when a whole bunch of pirates appeared, surrounding them. Aaliyah and Esther screamed.

"Arr, what have we here?" They heard a female voice say, and looked up to see a woman with a long black cloak, a red shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to her elbow, white pants, big brown boots, and a brown captain's hat, a sharp looking sword at her side underneath of the cloak, her dirty blonde hair flowing in the wind. She looked intimidating, standing on the railing of the crow's nest.

"A couple of trespassers, Captain Swan!" Called up one of the men. "Shall we dispose of them?" The woman, Captain Swan, glared at them. Oliver stepped up.

"Please! We were only looking for survivors! We didn't know that there was anyone on the ship!" Captain Swan jumped down from the crow's nest and walked around them, looking them up and down. She stared intently at Marcassin, Esther, and Aaliyah, who wore royal robes and lots of gold. She smirked at them.

"Awful dressed up to be sailing, en't we?" She told them. Aaliyah touched the headband she had been given to by Queen Cassiopeia nervously. Marcassin just adjusted his jacket. Captain Swan tapped her chin. "Who're ye all? Where ye heading?" Marcassin answered first, trying to seem brave.

"I am Prince Marcassin, Ruler of Hamelin." Swaine and Harmony came over, standing next to him protectively.

"I'm Swaine, his brother."

"Harmony, the Songstress and his fiance." The crew all oohed and chuckled at this. Captain Swan seemed pleased by this as her gaze moved to the smaller ones.

"What about ye, squirts?" She demanded. Aaliyah backed into Esther, who stood tall, but was trembling.

"I am Esther, my father is Rashaad the Great Sage, and this is Aaliyah."

"I'm Oliver." Oliver called up timidly from where he had stayed back. Drippy came stomping up.

"Drippy, Lord High Lord of the Fairies! And you lot better not be thinking 'bout hurting any of us!" She laughed darkly at the fairy.

"Why would I hurt ye? When ye are all of value." She turned to her crew. "How many guilders do ye think the Great Sage would give to get his daughter back?" The crew chuckled and Esther gasped, not feeling quite so brave anymore. "Or maybe the fairies for their Lord High Lord? What about Hamelin for their Princes and his fiance?" Then she examined Oliver. "Let me, see. About eleven years old, red cape with a blue shirt, horrible combination by the way…" That was when she noticed Astra in his holster, and grinned. "Ah, Astra. Ye must be Oliver, the Saviour." He stumbled back as she grinned back at her crewmates. "World domination for this one!" The crew cheered, then she turned to Aaliyah. "Let me see here, curly red hair, clothes designed possibly by whoever makes the Queen of Nazcaa's, worthless pendant." She turned back to the crew. "This runt is useless! She may dress like a princess, but she's a nobody!" Aaliyah felt hurt by the Captain's words.

"Hamelin's not going to want this one, Captain." one of the men said, poking Swaine with a club. "They still don't believe he's royalty!" Swaine backed away. Captain Swan glared at him, with a familiar glare that he couldn't remember.

"I don't blame em. Frankly, I don't believe that he's royalty either. Still…" She walked over to him, her boots thumping with each step. "Every thief has a bounty over his head and an enemy or two. Somebody'll pay for his capture."

"And I'll bet they would be pleased to hear that the witch thief wasn't going to be their empress." Another said, pointing his sword at Harmony, who pushed it away with her staff. Captain Swan tapped her chin again, turning to her captives.

"Plus, the Great Sage runs a babana stand in Al Mamoon. He can't have much." A woman added. Esther stomped her foot when she heard that, but she said nothing. Captain Swan still tapped her chin, then spoke.

"She is still of use. As for the the runt and the pirates, they can be gotten rid of. Even if Hamelin doesn't want the Songstress, she'll be worth something elsewhere. Send the prisoners to the brig!" The pirate crew cheered and surrounded Sindbah's crew as well as Swaine and Aaliyah. Some of them went to bind up their friends.

"No!" Oliver shouted, pointing his wand at the enemy pirates. "We won't be your prisoners or your bargaining chips, or whatever you're going to do to us!"

"Yeah! Leave us alone!" Esther called, holding her harp threateningly. Captain Swan looked at the group, seeming to notice that they weren't just a pile of guilders, then grabbed Swaine, held his wrists down with one hand and held her cutlass to his neck with the other.

"Hey!" He shouted, struggling against her, cross eyed from staring at the cutlass with fear.

"Let him go!" Marcassin demanded. Captain Swan smiled with mock sympathy.

"Oh I'll let 'im go. Over the edge of the ship and into the sea when we can get this boat moving again!"  
"No!" Oliver cried out.

"Then do as I say! Or else…" She pressed the cutlass harder down on Swaine's neck, and Swaine felt a trickle of blood run down his neck. "I leave more than a scar!" Oliver looked to his friends, then back at Captain Swan.

"Just please don't kill them! Please!" Captain Swan glared at the little boy for the longest time, the only sound the lapping of the waves. Then she nodded.

"Fine! I need a few more strong hands to fix the ship anyway!" Sindbah came over, having about enough of this nonsense.

"Now ye listen here, missy! No Miss Captain is going to tell me to fix 'er ship!" Captain Swan pushed Swaine at him instead.

"I think I've already told ye! Fix me ship! And I'll even bargain with ye. If ye and yer crew fix me ship, I'll let yer crew go. Yer crew and said mates." Sindbah thought that this was a fair deal, and the crew of the Sea Cow began to fix the ship. There was a huge gap in the hull of the ship from where they crashed. The men gathered wood from the trees on the island and fixed up the ship in no time. As soon as it was done, Captain Swan sent her first mate, a girl who looked about eighteen with short hair and an eyepatch whom she called Merits, to inspect it. Merits looked at it closely, Oliver begging in his head for it pass. He didn't want to be here any longer than they had to. Finally, Merits passed it.

"Looks good. Now take yer runt an' git!" Oliver gasped, but Swaine wasn't taking that. He stomped right up to Merits.

"Listen here now, little girl! Your captain promised we could all go free!" Merits pulled out a small knife and pointed it at Swaine, it's sharp blade glinting from the sun.

"The deal was if they fix th' ship, th' crew and said mates get ta leave! Cap'n Swan didn't specify which mates ye get! We keep ouer prisners!" Aaliyah was getting angry now herself. She came stomping over to Merits and pointed her staff at Merits.

"Listen here! I didn't come to this world to have my friends captured by pirates! Now you let them go, or else I'll blast you with a Fireball!" Merits held her hands up in surrender. That was when they heard the stomping of boots, and Captain Swan came down. To Aaliyah's surprise, she was smiling. She came over and pushed Aaliyah's staff away.

"Now little girl. We had an agreement. Can't ye honour that?" Aaliyah hesitated, then she shook her head and pointed the staff at Captain Swan.

"No! I want my friends!" Captain Swan's smiled disappeared.

"Oh please. You aren't the only ones with magic around here." Then she held up a hand, and it turned into a furry paw. Correction, make that a furry claw! Aaliyah watched as dirty blonde fur grew on the pirate girl's hand and claws sprang from it. She gasped and looked at Captain Swan's face, and the captain smiled, sharp fangs showing instead of the human teeth that had been there. Aaliyah screamed, then she shot a Fireball at Captain Swan, making her howl like a wolf in pain. Aaliyah ran towards Swaine, the rest of the pirate crew coming at her.

"Leave her alone!" Oliver shouted, casting Astra, sending blinding light over the whole crew and sending them down. To his friends, he said, "Come on! Let's get out of here!"

"Right!" Esther called, and Harmony grabbed Drippy. Then they all ran to the Sea Cow.

"Get 'er movin, ye landlubbers! Else I'll have yer heads!" Sindbah called.

"Aye, Captain!" they all called back. They got the ship back in the water, but that was when Swaine saw a huge wolf with dirty blonde fur running at the ship, growling.

"Guys! Captain Swan is right on our tail! And she's turned into a wolf!" Sindbah came over and looked, then jumped about ten feet in the air.

"Faster, ye lazy bild rats!" Soon, they were far from the island and the crazy captain. Swaine watched as the wolf morphed back into Captain Swan, and saw her eyes. They were dark like the night sky and looked as though there were stars in them. She stared back, looking almost hurt as she looked at Swaine, then shouted,

"Cowards! I will find you! I will get my revenge! You see if I don't!" She shouted, her accent still a pirate's, but sounding slightly fake. Swaine moved away to where he couldn't see her. The gaze. That gaze was so familiar, and yet he didn't know it was. Just a dark captain. That was when he felt warmth spread over the open wound on his neck and turned to see that Marcassin had cast Healing Touch on him. Then his younger brother smiled at him.

"Brother, is there something you would like to tell me?" Marcassin asked him. Swaine shook his head.

"No, there's nothing." Marcassin patted his shoulder.

"Gascon… Swaine, did you know Captain Swan before?" Swaine shook his head, but at the same time, wanted to say yes.

"No, I didn't. But yet… she's so familiar, like… I've met her before. In another lifetime." Marcassin nodded.

"I feel the same way. It's like… I've seen you two together before…" Swaine shook his head, then went down to his cabin, where there was a woman. A woman in a white dress with glowing white hair and silvery wings. She glowed and he thought that she was a ghost.

"Hello?" He said to her. She looked at him, then smiled, waving her hand to the table, in which she had laid some sort of band on. Swaine ran over to the table and lifted the band, then placed it on his wrist, it feeling very familiar. Then he noticed a button on it, and looked to the woman.

"D-do I press it?" He asked her. She nodded, and he pressed it, then a picture appeared on the wall. It was him and Captain Swan. They were standing on the balcony of a Cat's Cradle that was in Nazcaa, currently being built. She wore a white nightgown, and he had his arms wrapped around her. She was smiling up at him with those dark eyes, and he smiled back at her. They looked very happy. Swaine looked at the woman.

"What does this mean!?" He demanded, a little nervous. The woman just came over and put her hand on the band.

"Her name is Nichole." She told him, then she vanished, along with the band on his wrist. Swaine's eyes widened, and he sat down in the hammock, needing to think.

"Nichole?" He whispered. Where had he heard that name?

RTNK

Captain Swan stood on the sandy beach, watching as the Sea Cow sailed away, her changing back from her wolf form back into a human. She stared intensely at the man who had the curly hair. What did he call himself? Swaine was it? Where did she hear that name before? It was so familiar, yet she couldn't place it. Perhaps she needed to just lie down for a few moments.

"Merits!" She called to her shipmate. Merits came running over.

"Yes, Cap'n?" Merits said.

"I'm going to go lie down. Get the ship moving. Head for Autumnia. I'd like to meet them there." Merits saluted her.

"Ay ay, Cap'n!" She said. Then Captain Swan disappeared into her cabin, where she found a wristband on her desk. It was blue, and it looked to be made of metal. She took it in her hand and put it onto her wrist, then pressed a button as if she'd done it all her life. From the button, came a picture on the wall, of her and that Swaine man. They sat together in an alleyway, his arms wrapped around her comfortingly, her looking like she'd been crying. Captain Swan jumped back and fell over, staring at the wall. That was when she saw a bright glow, and there was a young woman standing there.

"What does this mean!?" Captain Swan demanded. "Who is this man!?" The woman, who wore a white dress with silvery wings came over to her.

"He knows who you are, Nichole." The woman said. Then the woman disappeared with the band.


	12. Chapter 12

(Hey all! Make sure to check out my newest stories that I've just added! They're called Roommates, Diana Potter, and Big Sister Thundermann! And I think that they're going to be pretty frantastic!)

When they finally reached the Summerlands, Oliver had never been happier to see a Purrloiner and a Megalith running away from him on Castaway Coast. He cast Travel to get them to Al Mamoon quicker and they all ran to Rashaad's babana stand.

Aaliyah looked around the city, watching all of the people around her, working hard. It seemed so familiar, so, just at home. Even the heat didn't affect her too much, unlike Swaine, who had already taken off his green jacket and rolled up the sleeves to his orange shirt.

When they reached the babana stand, they found Rashaad sitting in his chair, watching the city.

"Father!" Esther called. He looked up and saw them coming over, then smiled.

"Esther. What brings you back home?" He asked.

"We came to ask you about Senkrad." Aaliyah told him, a bit rashly. He jumped up and dropped his staff.

"Senkrad?" He whispered hoarsely. "Where have you heard about such a name?" Harmony came over to him.  
"He's coming back, Rashaad." She told him in a low whisper. Rashaad's eyes widened.

"What!? No!" He whisper-shouted. "That's impossible! He cannot come back!' Oliver nodded.

"It's true, Mr. Rashaad, sir. There's a man called Tortana who came after Aaliyah and I. He said that he worked for Senkrad."

"Don't say his name so loudly!" Rashaad told him harshly. Oliver jumped back, startled to see the usually kind sage acting out like this. Rashaad saw this, and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just… I have terrible memories with that man. To be reminded of him and to know that he is coming back… it hurts my heart." Esther patted her father's shoulder, handing him back his staff.

"Perhaps we should discuss this inside?" She asked him, leading him towards his babana tent. He nodded and they all followed him into the tent, where he closed the flaps, then turned to them, fear in his eyes.

"Now, what is it that you need from me? I'd like to get this over with so that I may forget that awful name again."

"We need the spells that you used against Senkrad before so that we can take down Tortana before he releases him." Aaliyah told him swiftly. Rashaad flinched at how casually she mentioned the dark wizard.

"I don't have them anymore. After we defeated him before, we hid the powerful spells away. Some of the most powerful light spells were used against him, the two that you have, Mornstar and Astra, amongst them. But with the wands Mornstar and Astra missing, we felt it was unnecessary to hide those spells. But every other spell we had were conflicting with Senkrad's dark magic."  
"So where are the spells? Do they have pages?" Oliver asked him. Rashaad nodded.

"They do. But the other sages, the Songstress, and I agreed to hide them away, on account of their power. We also created a map of where we hid them."  
"So who had the map?" Oliver asked.

"We each had a piece of it, so that if anyone of us got captured, then the others could still hide the spells. I have my piece hidden right here." Then he went over to a rotting babana in the corner of the tent. Esther grimaced.

"That thing's been there forever." She told the others. "Nobody's ever touched it because we didn't know what sort of diseases we could get from such a rotten babana." Rashaad chuckled as he picked up the babana.

"Actually Esther, your mother and I told you that so that you would not find this." Then he pulled back the peel and pulled out a torn piece of paper! Esther gasped.

"You hid a piece of the map in a rotting babana?" Swaine asked. Rashaad nodded.

"Of course. Who would suspect a rotting babana of holding a piece of the map to the most powerful spells in the world?" They chuckled a little and Rashaad handed the paper to Oliver, after wiping some of the babana gunk off of it. "This piece belongs to you now, Oliver. Take care of it."

"But wait." Aaliyah said. "Marcassin mentioned that Alicia, Raoul and Dalia were gone. If the sages and the Songstress all had a piece of the map, then didn't they have their pieces? Where did they go?"

"The pieces would be hidden somewhere in their homes, somewhere only someone living there would know. Oliver, seeing as Alicia was your mother, her piece should be in your world. And your Majesties, I'd suggest looking around your father's chamber."

"What about my mother's piece?" Harmony asked. "We lived on Xanadu, and that was where she died. Our home is destroyed. Where would I find her piece?" Rashaad shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure. Dalia was a masterful Songstress, and a very smart woman. She would have figured out a good hiding place. I would ask Khulan. They were quite close." Oliver nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Rashaad, sir. I know this must have been hard." Rashaad nodded.

"I would be lying if I didn't say it was quite difficult, remembering the lost sages and the Songstress, as well as my once good friend. But, we mustn't dwell on the past, or else we'll miss the future." Oliver nodded again and Esther gave Rashaad a hug.

"Goodbye, father! Save me a babana split for when I come home!" Rashaad laughed again as he hugged her back.

"Don't you worry, my dear child. You shall have all the babana splits you wish when you return." Then they left, a true quest now in their hearts.


	13. Chapter 13

Oliver called down Tengri again and Harmony jumped into the driver's seat.

"I'm flying this time!" She told them, a mischievous grin on her face. Oliver, Esther, Swaine, and Drippy paled.

"A-A-Are you sure about that, Harmony? This is only Aaliyah's second time in the air." Swaine asked her. Marcassin and Aaliyah looked at him curiously.

"What's wrong with Harmony driving?" Marcassin asked. The four gave them a look.

"Marcassin. Have you never gone flying with Harmony?" The prince shook his head. "Oh dear." Harmony patted Tengri's back.

"Come on, you lot! Let's get going! We've got to get to Khulan before sunset so we can hit Hamelin next!" The four sighed, then climbed on reluctantly. Marcassin and Aaliyah exchanged looks, then climbed on, and found out why Oliver, Esther, Swaine, and Drippy didn't like flying with Harmony as the driver. She drove crazily, flying upside down over the ocean, doing a lap around a mountain and having them fly really close the Iron Wyvern as they passed, waving to Kublai. When they finally reached Perdida, Swaine had to throw up in the bushes.

"I should not have eaten that Tikka Mahala before we went to Al Mamoon." He groaned. Aaliyah just tried to smooth down her crazed hair, grumbling about it under her breath. Curly hair was the worst thing to take care of, but Grace had treasured her long, red curls, helping her care for them. Oliver had to try and flatten his own hair too, while Marcassin needed to sit on the step for a few moments to settle his stomach. Esther was white as snow and Drippy didn't move for a few minutes. Harmony went over to Marcassin.

"Are you okay, honey?" She asked, a little teasingly.

"My stomach feels as though it has been turned upside down." He admitted. She placed a kiss on his cheek, and his pale cheeks turned pink.

"Better?" He nodded then lay his head on her shoulder.

When their stomachs had all calmed down, they went into Perdida and found Khulan coming out of the palace. When she saw them, she smiled.

"Ah, Oliver. I have been expecting a visit from you, upon your return to Ni No Kuni."  
"Hello Queen Khulan." He said as they walked up to her. She furrowed her eyebrows at them.

"You all look terrible. What happened?"

"Harmony flew Tengri." They all said in unison. Harmony shrugged.

"That I did." Khulan shook her head.

"You shall never learn. You were always so stubborn." Harmony stuck her tongue out at Khulan.

"But that's not all we're here for, your Majesty." Aaliyah told her. "We need your piece of the map. Senkrad is returning." Khulan paled.

"He's back? But Tortana should be guarding him!"

"Tortana is working with him, your Majesty." Swaine explained. Khulan looked ready to faint.

"And I presume you're out for the spells?" She asked slowly. They nodded. "Then allow me to get my piece of the map. Just wait here a minute." Then she went back to the palace. They all sat on the step to wait for her, when they heard someone shouting.

"Hey! I had a babana flan sitting here! Where did it go?" Oliver looked to his friends and they nodded, then he stood up, followed by Aaliyah. Then another voice shouted.

"Hey! That blade was for my familiar!" Then a woman screamed.

"Thieves!" Oliver looked around, and saw two people with a bag of guilders. They stood on the wall. Aaliyah looked behind her and saw more of them.

"Take what ye can! Give nothing but their lives! And make 'em lucky they get those!" Called a familiar voice from atop the palace. Oliver and Aaliyah turned to see Captain Swan, her long coat flowing in the wind. Merits stood next to her.

"Ye heard th' Cap'n! Get movin!" Then more people appeared and Oliver realised that they were pirates!

"Hey! Leave these people alone!" Aaliyah shouted at Captain Swan. Captain Swan looked down, and glared at her.

"Well if it isn't the little brat that decided to set my fur on fire!" Then she jumped down and landed before her. "Why don't you try that again?" She growled, her wolf persona coming back. Aaliyah stumbled back, slightly intimidated by the sharp claws that came from her hands and the snarling teeth that came from her mouth. There was also a patch of fur missing from her shoulder as the rest grew in around her.

All of a sudden, Swaine jumped in front of Aaliyah and shot Captain Swan with his Rogue's Revolver, knocking her back with a Rotshot. She sat up and growled at him, the human part of her no longer there, but a full on wolf. A huge, wolf.

"Aaliyah! Move! I'll take care of her!" Swaine said, the gun still pointed at Captain Swan. Aaliyah wasted no time in running to join Oliver in fighting off the pirate crew. Swaine and Captain Swan circled each other, her growling and him with a gun pointed at her. He knew he should have shot her again. Shoot her dead. Then he and his friends would be safe. But he couldn't. And he knew that she wanted to attack him. He could see it. But she wouldn't. Her growling stopped, and the glare softened, her changing back into a human and pulling out her sword, but not attacking him.

"What're you doing? Come at me!" He demanded, wanting a real excuse to shoot her.

"I can't! You see way too damn familiar!" She growled. "Who are you, Thief Prince?" He scoffed.

"I could ask you the same thing, Pirate Wolf! Who are you!?"

"Just shoot me already, Swaine!" She demanded.

"Come stab me first, Nichole!" They both gasped, when they realised they knew each other's names.

"How do you know my name?" They asked in unison. "I asked you first! Stop it!" Captain Swan sighed.

"I heard your mates call to you by that name. But… it feels like there's more behind it." She tightened her grip on her sword. "Now how do you know that name!? Nobody knows that name, not even my own crew, not even Merits!" Swaine looked into her night sky eyes, and saw something he didn't expect. Fear. Just a scared girl who was worried about people finding out her secret. Like Harmony used to be.

He lowered his gun slowly, and she followed with her sword. "Someone told me. A spirit, of sorts. After we met before. She told me your name was Nichole." Captain Swan, Nichole, tilted her head.

"A she spirit? Did she have wings of silver, and long white hair?" He nodded. "Did she… show you a metal band of blue? One with pictures of us in it?" He nodded.

"Exactly, yes." Nichole gasped.

"She did that for me as well." That was when Merits came running up.

"Cap'n! Abort th' mission! We're losin lives out there!" Captain Swan snapped back into reality, and nodded.

"Go spread the word, then head for the Star!"

"Ay Cap'n!" Then Merits ran off. Captain Swan then looked to Swaine.

"As much as I hate to say it, I hope our paths cross again, Prince Thief." Then she changed back into a wolf and ran off, howling. Swaine watched as she ran, her fur shining against the sunlight. Who was this mysterious girl? Why was she so familiar?

"Hey, Swaine? Are you okay?" Aaliyah came over to him and tapped his shoulder. Swaine flinched and spun around, looking furious. Aaliyah gasped and jumped back. His gaze softened when he saw her. He nodded wearily.

"Yeah, yeah I'm alright. Sorry, just a little distracted."

"By Captain Swan?" She asked. He nodded, slightly out of it. "She does seem oddly familiar. Like I saw her on a street corner at the store or something." Swaine shook his head.

"No, it's more than that. Like, I knew her, in another life. Another, adventure…"  
"What's going on over here?" Harmony's voice came as she and the others walked over to them. Swaine shook his head.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." They looked to Aaliyah, and she nodded. If Swaine wanted to talk about it, he could. For now, she would keep it secret.

That was about the time Khulan came hurrying out.

"I heard fighting! I came as quick as I could! Is everything alright?" Oliver nodded, coming over to her.

"Yes, your Majesty. There was a raiding of pirates, but we took care of them." Khulan frowned.

"Oh, it was that Star Band, wasn't it?" They looked at each other, then Esther gasped.

"Oh! I think they might have been! They each had some sort of star shape on their clothes! Like on their backs, or their sleeves! I even saw a man with one on a scarf and a woman with one on a handkerchief!" Khulan clenched her fists.

"Oh, those bandits! They come every few months and swipe much of the supplies we get from the merchants! They're a menace! And I'll bet you anything they do it to poor Yule down in the Winter Wonderlands too! Just because we're smaller towns, doesn't mean that they can steal from us!"

"I'm very sorry, ma'am." Aaliyah told her. "But, we really need to find those spells." She watched Swaine out of the corner of her eye as she said this next part carefully. "Perhaps we can help you stop them from stealing later?" Khulan nodded.

"Of course. You have much more important things to attend to than a few bandits." Then she handed a torn piece of paper to Oliver. "This is my piece of the map. Take good care of it. And… watch out for Tortana. He's powerful, and with him on Senkrad's side, dangerous." Oliver nodded back to her.

"Yes, your Majesty. I promise, we'll be careful." Just as they were about to leave, Harmony remembered something.

"Queen Khulan, as you know, my mother is gone, and so is her home. We have no way of finding her piece. Can you think of anywhere she would have her piece be moved?" Khulan thought for a moment.

"There was something she once told me, something I shall always hold onto."

"What did she say?" Harmony asked, looking desperate.

"Home is where the heart is." she told her. "That was one of my favourite things she told me." Harmony looked exasperated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Khulan smiled.

"I think that's for you to find out." Harmony sighed, then she turned and walked away.

They all followed her out of Perdida, heading to Hamelin. Rashaad and Khulan's pieces down, Raoul, Alicia's and Dalia's to go.

(If you can' t tell, Captain Swan is going to be an important character to Swaine.

Swaine: shut up!)


	14. Chapter 14

As they arrived in Hamelin, Marcassin made a suggestion.

"I've got a proposition. How about some of you go to Motorville and find Alicia's piece while the rest of us stay here and look for my father's piece?" Oliver nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan. Who's going and who's staying?" Harmony stepped up.

"How about Marcassin, Swaine, Esther, and I stay here and Oliver, Aaliyah, and Drippy go on ahead to Motorville? The four of us know the Porcine Palace best, which is most likely where his piece of the map is, plus it would be easier with not so many invisible people around. And Oliver, Alicia was your mother. If anyone would know where she would hide something this important, it would be you." Oliver nodded.

"Alright. We'll meet back here after we've find them?" The others nodded. "Then let's get going!" Oliver then cast Gateway, and he, Aaliyah, and Drippy walked through. When they reappeared in Motorville, they didn't waste any time in running to Oliver's house. When they got inside, they found only Melody home. She was sitting at the kitchen table, looking through a magazine.

"Melody?" Oliver said quietly. Melody looked up from the magazine, her eyes wide.

"Oliver!" She exclaimed, standing up and coming over to him, giving him a hug. "Where have you been? I've been so worried!" Oliver hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, Melody. I was in Ni No Kuni, trying to help my friends." She smiled and hugged him again. Aaliyah stood there, smiling a little awkwardly. Drippy had already disappeared upstairs.

"I'm just glad you're okay! Grant and Sam have been begging me to call the police to find you, but I knew that you were okay. Nothing bad can happen to my Ollie!" Oliver laughed. "That, and I was sure that when you did come back it would just end up being a waste of money on a detective." Oliver laughed even harder, and Aaliyah had to hold back giggles. That was when he remembered they were there and that Melody could see Aaliyah.

"Oh! This is my friend Aaliyah! We're here to find something." He told Melody, pulling away.

"Very nice to meet you Aaliyah. And what are you looking for, Oliver?"

"Something that was very important to my mom. A torn slip of paper, like a piece of a map." he told her. Aaliyah explained what was happening, and Melody tapped her chin.

"Hm, a torn piece of a map…" She wondered out loud. Then she snapped her fingers. "I might know where it is!" Then she went upstairs, Oliver following. But Aaliyah looked at the magazine that Melody had been reading. It was a magazine of wedding rings! Was Melody thinking about getting married?

"Hello? Is anyone home?" came a voice from the front door. Aaliyah went in the front room, where she saw Grant coming in. He looked surprised to see her.

"Oh! Hello! Aren't you the little girl who lives next door?" She nodded, smoothing down her skirt a little.

"Yes, hi. I'm Aaliyah."

"Grant." Then he looked around. "Do you know if Melody is home?" Aaliyah nodded.

"Yes, she's upstairs with Oliver and…" She caught herself, remembering what Oliver had told her. The people from this world wouldn't be able to see Drippy. Luckily for her, Grant seemed distracted and didn't question anything.

"I'll have to be quick." Then he ran into the kitchen and dug around under the sink until he pulled out a navy blue suit jacket. Aaliyah followed him, confused.

"I'm sorry, but why do you have to be quick?" He glanced at the stairs, then gestured for her to come over. She did, and he pulled out a small black box from his pocket. Aaliyah gasped. "You're going to propose to Melody?" She asked in a hushed whisper. He nodded, him grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes. I've been planning it for a while, but I've only now been able to buy the ring. It cost so much, but love is priceless." Aaliyah smiled.

"Do you feel ready for it?" He nodded.

"Young lady, I've felt ready to marry Melody since the day I realised I loved her. And that was a few years ago." Aaliyah laughed a little, then they heard Oliver's voice call down.

"Aaliyah! What are you doing down there?" Grant's eyes went wide and he began to panic.

"Don't tell them I'm home! I want to wait for Sam! He'll be home in a few minutes!" Aaliyah nodded.

"Go hide out in the backyard and get all dressed up! I'll distract them until Sam gets home!" Grant nodded, then grabbed the rest of his suit, then dashed outside. Aaliyah ran upstairs to where Melody, Oliver, and Drippy were in Melody and Grant's room. They gave her a strange look.

"What were you doing down there?" Melody asked her. Aaliyah just shrugged.

"I was just… looking at that magazine on the table. It looked interesting." Melody furrowed her eyebrows, then glanced at the clock, and sighed.

"I don't understand it. If Grant were home, he'd have come up here."  
"Maybe he's late." Oliver told her, and she sighed again.

"Maybe." Then she went back to digging in the closet, until she pulled out a white cloak. "Here it is! I'm assuming this was your mother's, Oliver. It was in a hidden floorboard in the closet. I was seeing what might fit me, and I found it. With this in it's pocket." She reached into the pocket and pulled out a torn slip of paper. Oliver went over took it from her, and noticed how it smelled a little like his mother. Not like her perfume or anything, just that familiar scent that was just her. He carefully folded the piece and put it in his pocket.

"Thanks, Melody." She waved it away.  
"Don't thank me! Thank your mother for being my size!" They all laughed, then they heard the front door open.

"Mel! Grant! Look alive! I'm home!" They all laughed again and the four of them went downstairs. Sam looked surprised to see Oliver and Aaliyah.  
"Oliver! Where have you been?" He demanded. Oliver looked at Aaliyah. He wouldn't believe that he was in Ni No Kuni. Luckily, Melody was the soulmate of his sister.

"He's fine and safe. Why does it matter where he was?" Then she peeked through the curtains. "Where is Grant? It's not like him to be late." Sam shrugged and went into the kitchen. "Uh, Mel? You might want to see this." Melody went into the kitchen, followed by Oliver, Aaliyah, and Drippy, and gasped. Grant was standing next to a set table with candles and some of the nice dishes that they rarely used. He also had on his suit, and one of his hands were behind his back.

"Hey Melody." he said, smiling at her. Melody's eyes were wide.

"Grant… What's all this?" She asked. He came up to her, and knelt down.

"Well, Mel, I've known you since I was a child and you were just a bit younger. We've been together for a few years, and I thought that it was time I asked." He pulled out the box and she gasped. Aaliyah held back her giggles and Oliver looked as shocked as Melody. Sam just poured himself a drink, trying to calm his own shaken nerves. Drippy was chuckling a little, his arms crossed.

"What's happening?" Melody asked. Grant opened the box and there sat a diamond ring!

"Melody, sweet, sweet Melody Song, I got this for you because I knew that this was your birthstone, and I wanted to use it to show you just how much I love you. Will you marry me?" She burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face.

"Yes! Yes I will!" She exclaimed, diving into him, giving him a huge embrace and a kiss. Sam cheered, Oliver and Aaliyah high fived, and Drippy chuckled some more.

"Proper tidy, mun!"

That night, Oliver and Aaliyah stayed for dinner, slipping some food to Drippy. But as soon as they could, they left a note on the front door saying that they were going back to Ni No Kuni. When they arrived back in the Porcine Palace, they could feel something was in the air.

"Oooooiii!" Drippy called through the halls. "Anybody home?" That was when Harmony flew over their heads on her staff.

"Swaine, did you find her!?" She called.

"No! You don't think she left, do you?" He called back.

"She wouldn't go anywhere without telling us!" Marcassin told them, running into the room.

"Marcassin! What's going on?" Oliver stopped him.

"We can't find Esther."

(Uh oh...)


	15. Chapter 15

"Esther's gone missing!?" Aaliyah exclaimed. Harmony flew in and nodded, sitting on her staff.

"Yes! We were looking for the piece of the map, then we heard her shouting, and when we went to find her, all that was there was Gogo and this." Harmony held up the Heart Winning Harp. Aaliyah gasped.

"Where's Gogo now?" Oliver asked. Harmony waved her hand and Gogo came flying out of her heart.

"I put him there to keep him safe. I sent Tokiono to the Familiar Retreat." Gogo, however, did not seem to be pleased with these arrangements. He was squawking like a mad Electrongo. "He's just as worried about Esther as we are."  
"Where was she when you last heard her?" Aaliyah asked, looking determined. Esther was her friend. She had to find her. Harmony pulled Aaliyah and Oliver onto her staff and they flew as fast as they could up to the past Emperor's bedchambers.

"She was sure that the piece was in here. But neither of the boys wanted to look." Oliver took the harp from Harmony and cast Insight on it to try and see if he could get anything from it.

"I can't see anything that would be useful in finding her." he told them sadly. Aaliyah then had an idea.

"Oliver! Can I see the Wizard's Companion?" He nodded and handed it to her. She flipped through it until she found both Insight and Breach Time. She then took her staff and made both symbols in the air as quick as she could. Then she pushed the Insight spell into the Breach Time and a bright light shone, then the room seemed blurred a little.

Esther was there, crouched by the bed. She pulled at the sideboard a little, and it popped out! She coughed as dust flew everywhere, then reached her hand into a little alcove inside, and pulled out a torn piece of paper! She gasped and was about to stand up, when a band of men came in through the windows. She sent Gogo out.

"Gogo! Dropsicle!" The Electrongo did the move while Esther fiddled with her harp, freezing many of the men, but two of them came up behind Esther and grabbed her arms, making her drop her harp.

"Marcassin! Swaine! Har-!" She was cut off when a gag was tied around her mouth and she was thrown into a sack. Then the men jumped back out the window with the sack, leaving Gogo in the dust.

When the vision disappeared, a page for the Wizard's Companion appeared and fluttered to the ground, but the three didn't pay any attention.

"Esther was kidnapped!" Aaliyah cried out. Harmony clenched her fists.

"Oohh, am I going to knock some heads!" Then she stomped out of the room, her staff flying next to her. "Marcassin! I need the captain of the guard! I want every single boarior out on patrol! Swaine, get Porco Grosso Mk. XI running!" Both of the men came running in, their faces white.

"Harmony, what happened?" Marcassin asked, reaching out to take her hands, trying to calm her down, but she wouldn't be soothed.

"Esther's been taken by those no good, dirty, rotten, traffickers! No doubt they were after the bloody piece of the map!" Marcassin's eyes widened and Swaine got mad.

"Oi, mun! Can't wait for the fairy with short legs, can you!" Drippy called, but Harmony paid no attention and stomped past him.

"Where is that bloody captain!?" She demanded, little trails of flames being left behind her. Marcassin ran after her and pulled her back.

"Harmony, be reasonable! We can go after those traffickers ourselves! We don't need a whole army!' She pulled away, looking angry at him.

"I am being reasonable! I've had about enough of those traffickers! They've been terrorising our great city for long enough! Oliver and Aaliyah ran up next to her.

"Um, who are these traffickers? What have they been doing?" Aaliyah asked her and Marcassin. The Songstress ignored her, but Marcassin turned to her.

"Human traffickers. They showed up about a month ago."

"They kidnap the young and sell them for slavery." Harmony added, furiously. "We've been able to stop them a few times, but we can't find their bloody hideout! OTherwise, they would be thrown into the dungeon at once! No doubt they're working for Tortana! And are going to use Esther for their own terrible doings!" Aaliyah gasped, then looked determined.

"Then we have to save her! We've just got to!" Marcassin shook his head.

"It won't be so easy. If those traffickers came before we got to the room, then they'll be much tougher to find. We don't even know which direction to go to find them!" Oliver thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

"I've got an idea! I used a Foresee spell to find Aaliyah, right? What if we used one to find Esther?" Drippy jumped up.

"There he is! Using the old noggin! There's sharp of you, Ollie-boy!" Marcassin, Harmony, and Swaine exchanged looks, their cheeks turning red.

"I would be lying if I didn't say I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of that sooner." Marcassin said.

"Yeah…" Swaine muttered and Harmony nodded. Oliver barely heard them.

"Do we have a crystal ball anywhere?" He asked. Harmony nodded again, more eagerly this time.

"I've got one! It's in my chamber!" Then she quickly zoomed off on her staff and came back with a crystal ball. "I bought it years ago! I needed it to find Alicia once!" Then she set it on the ground and she and Oliver sat down. Oliver placed his hand on the crystal ball while Harmony performed the spell. Then he saw Esther in his mind. She was bound to a chair in a dark room. A man grasped her blonde hair and gave it a huge yank, her screaming with pain.

"Stupid girl! Do you want us all to get killed!?" Snarled a man standing over her. "Where's the piece of the map!?" She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I don't have it and I'm not telling you where it is!" She told him. He pointed a gun at her.

"Believe me, girl, when I say that I will get that piece of the map! And if you don't tell me, your precious friends getting hurt will be the least of your troubles!'

"Leave them alone!" She demanded, earning another yank of her hair. "Don't you dare touch my friends!" Oliver pushed in deeper and saw into her mind, as he had with Aaliyah before. Dear Ancients, please don't let them get a hold of my friends! And don't let them near my harp! Oliver pulled out a little until he could see where she was.

"The No Longer Mine!" He exclaimed, opening his eyes. "That's where they're keeping her!" The three young rulers exchanged looks again.

"But that's impossible! We searched the No Longer Mine thoroughly!" Harmony told him gruffly. Swaine shrugged.

"Maybe they're hidden better than we thought. Let's go check it out!" Then they all headed out.

(Ruh roh...)


	16. Chapter 16

They called down Tengri, who had made himself a nest on the roof of Hamelin, and Harmony flew them as fast as she could towards the island that held No Longer Mine, no loop de loops, no crazy flying. Just her being as fast as she could and Swaine and Marcassin having to help Oliver, Aaliyah, and Drippy stay on, while helping each other. As they landed and she got off, Aaliyah looked around the desolate place. There were a few familiars, and a bunch of holes with cranes over them that looked abandoned, but there was something else. Something small.

A sound. It sounded like someone shouting, and someone else crying. She followed the sound.

"Aaliyah! Wait!" Oliver called, but she ignored him as she ran faster towards the noise.

"Esther!" She called, then she fell down one of the holes. She screamed, then hit the bottom with a thud. She groaned softly as she stood up, using Healing Touch, then looked around. It was dark, except for a tunnel, dimly lit up with torches.

"Aaliyah! Are you okay?" She heard Oliver call down. She looked up and saw him and the others surrounding the hole. She nodded, holding up a thumbs up.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I'm just going to go ahead, see if I can find her!"

"Aaliyah, be careful!" Harmony called down to her. "Those mines can be dangerous! You don't know what could be down there!" Aaliyah nodded up at her, pulled out her staff, and walked down the path, keeping an eye out for any familiars, traffickers, or signs of Esther. She also dragged her hand along the dirt walls, mainly to leave a small trail for herself in case she needed to get back to the hole.

All of a sudden, the dirt turned to silt and she hit a sharp stone.

"Ouch!" She yelped, pulling her hand away and looked at her fingertips, which looked like someone had tried to rip the tops off and were bleeding bad. "That was one sharp rock." She whispered to herself, taking her cape and holding it to her fingers, feeling a little bad at getting Queen Cassiopeia's cape covered in blood. Then she examined the wall, using her other hand to carefully wipe away some of the loose dirt, to reveal not stone, but metal! She whipped off her cape and used it as a fan, fanning away the dirt to reveal a metal door1 She coughed and fanned away more of the dirt that had flown into her face, tearing off a bit of the cape and wrapped it around her fingers, then examined the door. There was a lock on it, so she just used Spring Lock, and the door popped open. She had to smile a little at herself. Even she had to admit she was getting better at magic.

As she walked down the hallway, she listened out for any sort of sounds of Esther or the traffickers.

"Esther?" She whispered.

"Aaliyah? Is that you?" She heard a soft voice call back. Esther! Aaliyah ran as fast as she could towards Esther's voice.

"Esther! Where are you?" She called softly.

"In here! Be careful though! He might come back!" Aaliyah turned a corner and ran into a room, where she found Esther! The blonde girl didn't look hurt, except for some red hand marks on her cheek and her blonde braid loose. She was tied to a chair, and she looked extremely relieved that Aaliyah was there.

"Aaliyah! Thank goodness!" Then she noticed that Aaliyah was alone. "Where are the others?" Aaliyah shrugged as she began to untie Esther.

"I don't know. I fell down a hole and came after you myself." Esther's eyes widened as she rubbed her sore wrists.

"Then we best hurry! Who knows when they'll come back?" Aaliyah nodded, and turned to run out of the room, but instead ran into one of the traffickers! She jumped back into Esther. The man smirked evilly at her.

"Well, well well. Look what the cat dragged in. Looks like we're going to get more than we bargained for." Then he turned to a second man who had just walked in. "How much do you think Tortana will give us for this girl?" Aaliyah felt a cold chill go through her body.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The man looked back to her.

"Well, girl, our buyer promised us a good bounty for a torn piece of a map that this girl should have. He also told us to keep an eye out for a redheaded boy with a red cape and a curly redheaded girl with a white cape. It seems you fit the bill." Aaliyah stepped back into Esther, who put her hand on Aaliyah's shoulder.

"You leave her alone!" The men laughed darkly.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Aaliyah gulped and she and Esther exchanged looks. This was not the plan.

RTNK

Oliver followed Harmony to where No Longer Mine's official entrance was, feeling filled with dread. He was worried about Aaliyah. She may be learning magic quickly, but she was still pretty under level. She could get in a lot of trouble alone.

As they walked, Oliver suddenly heard yelling. "Move, you ungrateful ingrates!"

"Hide!" He hissed, and he and Drippy dove behind a rusted minecart. Oliver peeked out, and saw a two men, one with a beard and one with long hair, pushing along a couple of kids, one not looking any older than eight.

"Goddamn, where is that girl!?" the bearded man grunted, looking angry. "Why is she always late?"

"It's called being fashionably late." They heard an all too familiar voice say.

"Captain Swan." the other man straightened up, looking frightened of the pirate girl. Swaine however, looked shocked, but his eyes glittered with hope. Two other people, Merits and a man, stood beside her. "Of course. Fashionably late, as usual." She examined her nails, looking bored.

"Yeah yeah yeah, where're those kids ye wanted me to take across the sea?" The bearded man grinned and shoved the eight year old at her, while the other man pushed the other two, another boy and a girl, at her.

"Right here. Shorty here oughta last the buyer a little while." Captain Swan examined the small boy, who looked fearful.

"How old is he?"

"Only eight years old. The girl's fifteen and this one's thirteen." Captain Swan nodded approvingly.

"Good." She turned to Merits and the man. "Goddard, you take the girl. Merits, the boy. I'll take Shorty." The two traffickers shoved the three kids at Captain Swan and her crew, and Oliver felt his blood boil with anger. She really was evil! He ran out his hiding spot and over to the two the traffickers and the pirates.

"Hey! Let them go!" Captain Swan looked surprised, then wrapped her arm around the eight year old boy as the traffickers pulled out a gun and a sword.

"Merits, Goddard, take the kids back to the ship." Captain Swan muttered, pulling out her own sword. "I've got some business to take care of." The man and Merits nodded, then they grabbed the hands of the girl and the older boy, leaving the captain with the little boy. Swaine, Harmony, and Marcassin ran up next to Oliver, Drippy staying back.

"Let go of the boy." Harmony growled at the woman. Captain Swan smirked, then shoved the boy at Harmony and turned her sword towards the traffickers!

"What the hell are you doing!?" One of them demanded angrily. She took out a pistol, grinning.

"Saving my reputation." Then she shot the long haired in the leg! Oliver yelped out of surprise and stumbled back into Swaine, who wrapped an arm around him protectively. The bearded man leaned down and tried to help his friend stand, but she aimed her pistol at him. "I'd run boys. Run as fast as you can. Tell or don't tell about the trafficking business, it's up to you, but if you tell Garth anything about me, I'll find you and hang you over the side of my ship!" Then she pointed towards the water. "Now go!" The bearded man helped the long haired man up and they left as fast as they could. Captain Swan then turned to to the little boy. "Are you alright, Shorty?" The small boy nodded, still looking fearful. Harmony hugged him closer, her eyebrows furrowed at Captain Swan.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded. Captain Swan sighed and tossed her hair.

"That was me about to lie to two of my coworkers about taking a couple of kids across the ocean to be sold for slavery! Until you lot burst in and messed up the deal! Talk about bad heroes." Oliver raised his eyebrows.

"What do you mean lie? You weren't going to sell those kids to slavery?" Captain Swan shook her head.

"By the stars, no! I maybe a thief, but I'm not cruel! I found this business years ago, it's how I got my first mate. Tried to tell people, but nobody would take the word of a pirate. So, I said that I would take kids to their buyers, only to take them back home, or to a proper orphanage if necessary." Harmony put her hand on her hips.

"So you're some kind of a good guy?" Captain Swan nodded.

"Of course. Now, if you'll let me take the child home, I'll be on my way." Harmony cautiously let go of the boy, still glaring at Captain Swan.

"Wait!" Swaine took the boy's hand and pulled him back. "Our friends are in there. They're probably in trouble. They trust you in there, do they not?" Captain Swan nodded. "So can you get us in and get our friends out?" Captain Swan's eyes widened.

"Trying to get someone out? I've never tried. The only time I've ever been able to get someone out without them having been bought is when they're up for execution and I had to get them out. Not only am I the deliverer, and the messenger, I'm also the executioner. It comes with a good reputation of a killer, even without having spill a single drop of blood. Ever have to get blood out a silk shirt? Nightmare!" Harmony scoffed.

"Oh really? Is that your only problem with killing?" Captain Swan glared back at her.

"I've seen blood spilt. It's not a pleasant sight. I feel that you should know much about that, Songstress." Harmony started to go after her, but Marcassin held her back.

"Please, Captain Swan, can you help us?" He begged. Captain Swan looked at them, as if debating helping them. Then she nodded.

"Alright. I'll do it. And I've got a plan."

(Don't be silent readers please! I like to read your comments! They make me smile! Let me know what you think of the story!)


	17. Chapter 17

Swan's plan was not up to Harmony's standards. She was going to deguise Oliver, then bring him in as another captive. After she gave Oliver to the men, she would pretend to leave, but instead let Swaine and Drippy into the hideout. Oliver was to be most likely put where they kept the other kids, including Esther and Aaliyah. Oliver could Spring Locked the door and got the girls out. Then Swan and the others would find them and get them out. Meanwhile, Harmony and Marcassin were gathering their army to arrest the traffickers at last.

"This will never work! If they're working for Tortana, they'll probably be looking for Oliver for him!" Harmony told Swan, sounding frustrated. Swan tossed her hair at Harmony.

"Oh really? Well, if you're so worried, then why don't you go with him? You're short enough to pass for at least a teenager." Harmony's face turned red, and Oliver was sure that he could see steam coming out of her ears. But she nodded.

"Fine then. I will. Marcassin, can you get the boariors together without me?" She gave him a look that practically dared him to say no. Marcassin nodded, his face turning a little paler, if that was possible.

"Yes, I can get the boariors." Harmony nodded.

"Excellent." Then she turned to Swan, who also nodded.

"Alright, then let's start disguising you up then! I've got a few things on my ship that might be suitable for a disguise." Oliver nodded, but Harmony had already left. Swaine sighed.

"Stubborn old cow." he muttered. "She probably went home to get a disguise." Marcassin nodded.

"I'll Travel after her. See if I can calm her down a little." then he too vanished.

Swan brought both Oliver and the small boy to her ship, where she gave the boy to a crewmember to find out where he lived, while she took Oliver to her cabin and started to disguise him.

"I know I should have a few clothes that would suit you in here somewhere…" She said, digging through her closet and dresser. As she searched, Oliver looked around. The bed was neatly made, with a red duvet cover that had a bit of dirt on it, along with a white pillow. There were two nightstands nailed down on either side of it, and a desk shoved into a corner with a wooden chair that had a red pillow on it. Over the dresser hung a mirror that had a simple, but beautiful metal frame around it. There was even a red curtain hanging over the window and pinned down. It looked way too nice for it to be a pirate captain's quarters. Oliver looked over at Swan, who was still digging through her closet, and saw a rather curious thing. It appeared to be a wedding dress. A beautiful one too, yellowed with age. Oliver walked over to get a closer look, but Swan caught him looking and slammed the door shut, glaring at him.

"Don't ever tell anyone about that." She growled. Oliver gulped, then nodded. She was pretty intimidating when she wanted to be.

She then tossed him a white shirt that had a few stains on it, brown leathery pants, and a brown leathery coat, as well as a dirty red bandana and some boots.

"There. They might be a bit big, but we can certainly work with that. After all, you're supposed to look like a poor kid with no money. This will just emphasize it." Oliver dressed, and found that the boots weren't too big on him, especially after Swan adjusted them a bit.

After she had pulled his hair underneath of the bandana, she took him back to Swaine, covering his hair in dirt to cover up the redness. When they got back, they found Harmony there with her black braid pulled back and hidden under a dark blue jacket. She wore a black shirt, blue jeans, and had no shoes on.

"I took these from Swaine." She explained. Oliver nodded.

"Alright. Then let's go save Esther and Aaliyah!" Swan nodded, then she tied both Oliver and Harmony's wrists with rope and pushed them towards a heap of rocks. Oliver began to sweat nervously. After all, these men were capable of murder, and they would turn him over to Tortana the second they found out it was him.

When they reached the heap, Swan knocked on the biggest rock in a pattern, and it pulled away to reveal a secret passage! She pushed Harmony and Oliver down it, and they walked a bit more until they reached a huge metal door. Swan knocked on it, and it opened to a burly man with gray hair.

"Cap'n Swan." he greeted. "More of em?" He glared at Harmony and Oliver. Harmony looked intimidated, but Oliver was sweating badly. "How old?"

"He's eleven and she's nine." Swan told him, earning the smallest glare from Harmony.

The man nodded, then called into the room behind. "Runner! Grundel! We got two more runts!" Two more men came up and took Oliver and Harmony by the shoulders, while the first man slapped a few guilders into Swan's hand. "Good work, Cap'n. You can go now." Swan nodded, then left, leaving Oliver and Harmony to the mercy of the traffickers.


	18. Chapter 18

Oliver looked around, a bit nervous. The place seemed to be bustling with activity. Some men were working with machinery, while others were fighting, looking like they were training for something. The walls were lined with dirt and metal, and there was a really awful smell in the air. He glanced over at the man who was shoving him along. He had long hair, with a bandage by his eye.

"I don't believe this!" Oliver and Harmony jumped at the sudden angry voice. "How hard is it to find an eleven year old boy! Especially when you obviously found the little girls who's been traveling with him!" Then there was a loud yell, and Oliver was sure that the speaker had slapped the person he was speaking to. Oliver suddenly felt a hand slither up the huge jacket sleeve and felt it take his hand, and looked over at Harmony, who winked at him. That was when they heard stomping, and a huge man loomed over them. He wore black pants that had red patches on them, and a white shirt with a back vest tied on with a red scarf around his waist. He had a small patch of hair on his chin, and a black eyepatch with an angry red scar going underneath of it, stretching across from his forehead to his nose, his black hair tied back with another red scarf. His arms were enormous, and covered with bruises and scratches, and he looked furious. "What's this? More useless runts?" The men holding Oliver and Harmony captive nodded, and Oliver could see the fear in their eyes that they were clearly trying to hide. "So we can find rubbish like this, but we can't find a kid who's probably on this very island trying to get his little friends out!?"  
"Well, Mr. Garth sir, it was Captain Swan who brought us these runts." The man holding Harmony said. Garth. That was the man that Captain Swan had mentioned earlier. He'd seemed dangerous.

Garth glared down at Oliver and Harmony, as if trying to determine their worth.

"So Missy Swan thought that you rats were good enough to sell, eh? Or were you that rubbish?" Oliver just shrugged, unsure what to say. Harmony did nothing, and that seemed to infuriate Garth and her captor.

"You will respond to your superiors, wretch!" her captor told her, shoving her over and her braid falling out of her coat. She looked up at Garth, and he recognised her at once.

"It's the Songstress!" She stood, her staff seeming to appear out of nowhere.

"Where are my friends!?" She snarled, glaring at them. Oliver then felt a tug at his hair, and the rag was ripped from his hair, as well as the coat ripped off of him, revealing his shirt and Astra hanging off his belt. The men around him gawked and gaped.

"It's the Pure Hearted One!" One gasped. Garth, however, walked right up to Oliver, his face twisted in an evil grin, a silver tooth glinting in the torchlight.

"Well now. No wonder you goons couldn't find the little boy." He growled, his nasty breath filling Oliver's nose. Oliver stared back, determined not be scared anymore. After all, he'd faced the Dark Djinn. This should be a piece of cake. "The little boy wandered down here with us." Harmony reached her staff between Oliver and Garth and knocked Garth back so quickly, Oliver only felt a breeze.

"Stay away from him!" She growled back. Garth snapped his fingers, rubbing his chin, and a bunch of the men surrounded her. Oliver grabbed Astra and aimed it at them.

"Astra!" He shouted, and the spell erupted, blinding the men. Harmony herself aimed a Frostbite at other men who were coming at them on the other side.

"Esther! Aaliyah! Where are you?" Oliver called, running in the same direction that the two traffickers had been leading them.

"Oliver?" He heard Aaliyah's faint voice call.

"Aaliyah! It's me! Harmony's here too!"

"Oliver! Hurry! Esther's been hurt!" Oliver ran faster. When he finally found them, he saw a bunch of other kids there too! They were all in cells, or even little crates, looking starved and dirty.

"Esther!" Oliver turned and saw that Harmony had run straight to the cell where Aaliyah was sitting with Esther, who was asleep.

"When I got here, they were so mad that she hadn't told them where we were, they beat her!" Aaliyah said. "And they took my staff! There was nothing I could do!" She looked close to tears. Harmony waved her own staff on the lock of the cell.

"Spring Lock!" And the door swung open. Just as it did, Captain Swan and Swaine came running in.

"Hey! Sorry we're late!" Swan said, panting.

"They were waiting for us!" Swaine told them. "They figured out that Captain Swan was helping you break out and jumped us as we got in! We've got to move!" Harmony stood to her feet.

"We can't leave these kids! They'll starve!" Swaine groaned.

"Fine then! Break them out!" Harmony, Oliver and Aaliyah exchanged glances, then quickly went and Spring Locked all the cells and crates. Then, with Esther in Swaine's arms, they ran for the door, helping the kids out, as some were weaker than others. When they got outside, they were greeted with the site of Marcassin and the entire boarior army. Marcassin grinned at them.

"Somebody call for the army of Hamelin?" Harmony shook her head at him, just as Garth came running out, and paled at the site of the boariors. He glared at Captain Swan.

"This was you! This was your doing! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" Swaine shot at him with a grappling hook, just missing his head.

"You leave her out of this." He growled.

(Phew! So sorry for the no updating thing! I've been so busy, and just have not been able to get on a computer to type! I promise, I have been working on these chapters as much as possible though!

Also, quick side note and announcement, I am on Devianart now, and I am thinking about posting chapters that are meant to go up later in this story and others if you want to check those out because I need to use that site for something and I can't draw so yeah! And also my crossover Harry No Kuni is out if you also want to check that out! Not sure if I announced that here!

Until next slime!)


	19. Chapter 19

After they had taken Esther back to the Porcine Palace, Harmony elected herself to check her out and make sure she was okay, although Aaliyah was sure she just wanted to get away from Swan.  
"I'm the Songstress, for goodness sakes!" Harmony told Marcassin, who was insisting on getting a doctor. "I think I can doctor Esther of some cuts and bruises with a little magic!" Then she disappeared with Esther into her bedroom. Marcassin sighed, but led the others to his chambers, where he checked out Aaliyah, who's fingers had stopped bleeding from the cuts she got, but would occasionally start up again when she tried to clean them up with her cape that was pretty much destroyed by now. Marcassin took her cape and gave it to Swaine and Swan to take it to a maid to get it cleaned up. Then he examined Aaliyah's fingers and healed them with Healing Touch, while Drippy brought over a bowl of water with a wet washcloth and she was able to clean all the blood away from her fingers.  
"Thanks guys." She murmured as Oliver handed her a sandwich and some milk. "But you don't really need to take care of me. I'm okay."  
"Nonsense." Marcassin told her, smiling. "You were brave enough to go down on your own, even after you were injured. You need a little care after that." She shrugged.  
"Well, its not like I did anything useful. I mean, all I did was get myself captured."  
"Don't talk like that, mun! Sure, youer still learning! But even Ollie-boy had trouble at the beginning!" She chuckled and Oliver blushed.  
"Your Majesty!" a manservant came running in, and Marcassin waved gestured for him to come closer. The manservant came in and whispered into Marcassin's ear for a while. Oliver, Aaliyah, and Drippy looked to each other, confused, then back at Marcassin, who nodded to the manservant.  
"Yes, thank you Grimes. But, I'm afraid those plans will have to be moved back. Would you please let Harmony know? you'll find her in Esther's room. I presume you know where that is?" Grimes nodded.  
"Yes, of course your Majesty."  
"Then please, go. Thank you, again." Then Grimes hurried away, and Marcassin turned back to the kids and Drippy.  
"What was that about, mun?" Drippy asked him.  
"Nothing." Marcassin told him swiftly as Swaine and Swan came back with Aaliyah's cape. "Don't worry about it." Swaine looked to his brother, confused.  
"Don't worry about what?" Marcassin whispered into Swaine's ear, and the older prince's eyes widened. "Really? But what about Harmony?" he whispered back.  
"I'm already having Grimes tell her. It's only for a little while longer, until we get this whole Senkrad mess sorted out." Aaliyah heard this, and felt bad. What were they postponing because of this mission? Only the human adults knew, with Swan as an exception.  
"Marcassin? Are you sure there isn't anything you want to tell us?" Marcassin nodded.  
"Yes, I'm sure. Now, why don't you three head to bed? Gascon and I have something to discuss." Swaine nodded.  
"Yeah. Aaliyah, your bedroom should be next to Esther's. Oliver, do you mind showing her?" Swan tilted her hat.  
"Well, I suppose I better be off meself. Real nice meeting you lot." Then she left. Oliver nodded to Swaine, then he led Aaliyah to her room. They walked in silence, and Aaliyah was sure that Oliver was thinking about the same thing that she was. That was when she heard it.  
"Where did that little blonde brat hide it?" Snarled a voice. "Serves me right for trusting those fools!"  
"Oliver, did you hear that?" Aaliyah asked him. Oliver nodded.  
"Sounded like it was coming from the old Emperor's bedroom." He whispered. Then the two of them hurried towards the Emperor's old room and peered in, where they saw Tortana!  
"That stupid! Ignorant! Brat!" He shouted. "I should not have trusted those fools! I should have come and killed the girl myself!" As he muttered and shouted to himself, he was tearing up the room, as if searching for something. That was when Aaliyah realised that he was looking for the piece of the map! She looked to Oliver, who had appeared to figure it out as well. "Forget it!" Tortana suddenly shouted. "I will have to go and rip the map from the brat myself!" He was going after Esther!  
Aaliyah jumped in front of him as he headed for the door.  
"I don't think so, Tortana!" She shouted, Oliver standing next to her. Tortana turned to them, and snarled, standing to his tallest height.  
"So. You puny mortals have decided to become brave. And are now standing up to me. Rather than hiding behind it all being a dream. Something that they will wake up to." He circled them as he spoke, and Aaliyah felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge, but she kept a straight face, determined this time to not show fear. To show Tortana that she was a force to be reckoned with. "Well." Tortana turned on his feet and brought his skeletal face close to her's. "Can not wake up now!" She looked him dead in the eye, her face set in a scowl.  
"You stay away from Esther, Tortana." She snarled. "She's never done anything to you."  
"Ah. But she will become. Useful." Tortana told her. "You see. Senkrad requires the pieces of your map that you mortals are so busy. Completing. And she has hidden away one of the pieces that I need."  
"Well you're not getting your hands on it." Oliver told him. "And this isn't a dream for you either. You can't run away from us!"  
"Oh. You see. Young Pure Hearted One. I do not run. Not from puny mortals." Aaliyah took the Sea Staff and whacked Tortana, making him hiss out in pain and stand straight , backing away from her.  
"Then I think its high time you start!" She told him, shooting a Fireball at him, then a Frostbite.  
"Blackest Despair!" Tortana shouted, hitting Aaliyah and Oliver with a dark spell, sending them flying back.  
"Mornstar!" Oliver shouted, and hit Tortana with the light spell.

"Oliver! Aaliyah!" They heard the others shouting, and both hit Tortana with an Arrow of Light as Marcassin, Swaine, and Drippy ran in. Tortana cackled when he saw them.  
"So. The puny mortals have brought their friends into this. Very well. I shall leave. But only for now." Then he vanished, and Aaliyah stomped her foot.  
"Dang it!" She shouted. "We almost had him!"  
"It will take more than a few spells to take down a powerful being like Tortana." Marcassin told them, coming over to them. "That's why we need the sages' spells. To defeat him before he releases Senkrad." Aaliyah nodded, just as Harmony ran in.  
"Is everyone alright?" She asked. "I thought I heard fighting!" Marcassin went to her.  
"It's alright, we're fine. Tortana just decided to drop in for a visit, but Oliver and Aaliyah held their own." Harmony looked to them, her staff changing from the hot pink hue of worry to a softer purple of disbelief.  
"You did?" She asked them, and they nodded. She sighed a breath of relief, her staff going back to it's normal white. "Thank goodness. I heard you from Esther's room and got frightened. I thought you all were in danger."  
"We're fine. How's Esther?" Aaliyah asked quickly. Harmony's face went pale.  
"It's more serious than I thought. Apparently they were doing much worse than beatings before you arrived, Aaliyah."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Swaine asked roughly. Harmony looked to them, her staff beginning to glow a soft red.  
"I found a little stowaway back in the cave." She told them, and sent out an Eldritch Empress! The familiar squealed and growled at them. "Watch out! She's got Poison Pinch. And she's used it on Esther. I left Gogo back with Esther."  
"What?" Oliver gasped, staring at the haughty familiar, who looked almost proud. "Esther's been poisoned? Did you try Draw Poison or Poison-Be-Gone?" Harmony nodded.  
"Of course I did, I tried everything. But this is some serious poisoning, very consistent poisoning. I keep stopping it and it keeps coming back! It's like back at the Miasma Marshes!"  
"Can't you do anything?" Oliver asked, almost demandingly. Harmony just shrugged helplessly.  
"I'm sorry, but there's no way Esther can survive like this."


	20. Chapter 20

"What do you mean, there's no way Esther can survived this?" Aaliyah asked. "Are you saying that... That Esther's going to..." Harmony nodded, wiping her eyes.  
"The poisoning has been enhanced, no doubt by Tortana. Esther's poisoning will keep sucking out her energy until she's not only fainted, but she's dead." Oliver's face paled and Aaliyah wiped her eyes a couple of times, trying to keep the tears at bay. Swaine clenched his fists, Marcassin sighed, and Drippy shook his he's sadly.  
"Nothing ever comes easy for us, does it?" Swaine mumbled. "First the whole Shadar ordeal, then the White Witch, and now look at us. We didn't see Oliver for a year, there's a crazy spider man after him and Aaliyah, we know next to nothing about Aaliyah and her past, and now Esther's dying."  
"Don't forget the psycho Wolf Pirate that appears to be following us." Harmony muttered with her arms crossed, and Swaine tossed a glare her way.  
"You leave her out of this." He growled, and Harmony glared back.  
"What's that supposed to mean? You're not actually defending that woman, are you? She nearly killed you and Aaliyah and tried to use us for ransom!"  
"I don't know!" Swaine shouted, stomping his foot. Everyone stared at him, surprised by this outburst. "Look, I-I don't know! There's just something about her, I can't explain! But..."  
"But what, Swaine?" Marcassin asked, for the first time since Oliver met him, looking angry. Swaine threw up his hands.  
"Gah! I don't know! I... I need a minute!" Then he stomped out of the room. Aaliyah looked at the ground, feeling a little bad. After all, she had burned Swan. Yeah, Swan had been about to attack her, and maybe she deserved it, but that didn't make her feel any better. Marcassin looked back at Harmony, his hand still clenched around his staff.  
"He'll be fine. For now, there's truly nothing we can do to save Esther?" Harmony shrugged and shook her head.  
"As far I know, no. There is no way that we can save her, except without some very powerful magic."  
"Can't we ask Khulan or Rashaad to help her?" Oliver practically begged. Harmony shrugged again.  
"I'll Travel to Al Mamoon and Perdida and ask them to come up." She told them, already creating the Travel symbol. "Maybe they'll be able to know something but I doubt it."  
"I'll go with you mun." Drippy said softly. "Better than just waiting around here." Then they was gone. Marcassin headed towards the door.  
"I'm going to go and keep an eye on Esther, see if there's anything that can ease her pain." Then he hurried off, leaving Oliver and Aaliyah alone. Oliver looked to Aaliyah, upset and uncomfortable. Aaliyah just wanted to cry. She'd only known Esther for a little while, but she didn't want her to die!  
"We'd better take this Eldritch Empress down to the dungeon or something." Oliver said after a little while, watching as the familiar growled at them from a corner. "Make sure it doesn't hurt anyone else."  
"How do we do that?" Aaliyah asked him. Oliver tapped his chin.  
"Well, you've got space still in your creature cage, don't you? Since you've only got the one familiar. Why don't you see if we can get her into your creature cage?" Aaliyah was a little uneasy about letting this thing into the same area as Aurora, but, this had to be dealt with. So, Aaliyah went over to the creature slowly, Oliver right behind her. Since neither Esther, nor Harmony were around to Serenade it, Aaliyah was hoping to coax the Eldritch Empress into her creature cage.  
"Here, Empress. Don't be afraid." Aaliyah said softly, the familiar hissing again. "I'm not here to hurt you. We just can't have you running around, poisoning everyone." The Eldritch Empress growled and snapped at Aaliyah.  
Oliver watched Aaliyah got closer and closer to the familiar, a little in awe. This creature could have jumped at her any at any minute, and yet she still approached carefully, the creature not attacking.  
Soon, Aaliyah was close enough to touch the Eldritch Empress. The familiar had stopped hissing, and Aaliyah gently lay her hand on its head, fingertips first, then whole hand. The familiar rubbed against Aaliyah's hand, as it had wanted nothing but to be petted.  
"There you go.," Aaliyah said softly as the Eldritch Empress squealed. "Hey, Oliver. You don't think its possible to take the enhanced poisoning off, do you?" Oliver shrugged.  
"We could try and use Draw Poison and take some of the excess sting off." Aaliyah looked to the Eldritch Empress.  
"Would that be okay? It might sting a bit, but then maybe you won't have to be put away." The familiar squealed and nodded. Oliver took a deep breath.  
"Draw Poison." He said slowly, creating the symbol. It floated gently over the familiar, and Aaliyah watched in earnest. Then the familiar jumped up, squealing with joy.  
"Oh, you're alright!" Aaliyah hugged the Eldritch Empress, forgetting about its still potential, but less lethal, Poisonous Pinch. But the Eldrich Empress didn't hurt Aaliyah. Instead, it cuddled in closer, cooing. Oliver laughed.  
"It seems to really like you, Aaliyah! Are you going to keep it?" Aaliyah looked to the familiar.  
"What do you say? Want to join me on my journeys?" The familiar jumped up, and Aaliyah laughed. "Then yes! I am going to keep her!"  
"Ah, mun. True familiar and trainer bonding right there!" Both of the kids turned around to see Drippy had returned.  
" ! When did you get back?" Oliver asked.  
"Just a moment ago, Ollie-boy, just a moment ago. Song-girl already ran off with Rashaad and Khulan to see Miss Esther."  
"Can we go and see her?" Oliver asked. Drippy nodded.  
"Yeah, but be quiet. We don't want to disturb any healing processes going on in there, mun." Then he led them down to Esther's room, where she lay with Khulan studying her and Rashaad holding her hand, looking like he was trying not to cry. Harmony and Marcassin stood in the corner, whispering to each other, but they stopped once they saw the younger two had entered.  
"How's Esther doing?" Oliver asked. Khulan shook her head.  
"Not good. The poison is doing a number on her bloodstream, and no doubt its giving her a good sized headache." That was when the Eldrich Empress came in. They all gasped, and Harmony stood to her feet, going after the familiar with her staff drawn.  
"You horrible, no good, ugly, pompous, little, demon-!"  
"Harmony, stop!" Aaliyah jumped in between Harmony and the familiar. "Empress isn't poisoned anymore! She didn't mean it. She was only doing what her keeper told her to do!" Harmony looked to Aaliyah as if she were crazy.  
"Aaliyah, this creature-!"  
"Only did what any of our familiars would have done! Listened to her keeper! But now, Empress is my familiar, and I'm going to take care of her. She won't hurt anyone anymore." Empress jumped up, then she began to dance around the room, dropping snow in a pattern. They all watched her curiously.  
"What is she doing?" Oliver wondered aloud.  
Soon, she stopped, and they saw that she had created the shape of a tree. A curvy tree, with branches that looked like they twisted around it.  
"That plant... It looks familiar." Rashaad murmured. "But why?"  
"Its a Poison-Be-Gone tree." They heard a soft voice say, and looked to see that Esther had woken up.  
"Esther!" Rashaad ran to her, taking her clammy hand into his and helping her sit up against a couple of pillows. "You recognise it?" She nodded.  
"Yes. It was in one of your books that you gave me to help me become a Sage. The Poison-Be-Gone tree is what created the plants all around the world. Every once a year, every single leaf comes off, and becomes the Poison-Be-Gone plants that you find everywhere."  
"And Empress thinks that it might help?" Aaliyah asked, the familiar jumping up and down.  
"She might be right." Marcassin told her. "The Poison-Be-Gone tree is a most powerful plant that might be the answer to curing Esther's poisoning. But, we'll have to be quick. Not only will we run out of Poison-Be-Gone plants and her body will become immune to Draw Poison, the tree will be losing its leaves at the end of the month."  
"That's three weeks away!" Oliver exclaimed. "Where's the tree?"  
"Supposedly on an island, just north of Nazcaa." Esther told him. "We can take Tengri."  
"What do you mean, "we"?" Harmony asked her. "You're staying right here, where you're safe. And Marcassin, you and I are going to stay here. We have to keep an eye out around here." Marcassin nodded.  
"What about Swaine?" Aaliyah asked. "Shouldn't we let him know." Harmony shook her head, and Oliver could see her face was red.  
"No. Let him sulk in his room." Drippy jumped up.  
"We best be off now, mun! We've got a tree to find!"


End file.
